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The North Carolina Tar Heels are set to face the Baylor Bears. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our North Carolina Baylor prediction, odds, and pick.
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The North Carolina Tar Heels look like a completely new team. They have changed their March Madness odds a lot over the past few weeks. A team which lost at home to Pittsburgh several weeks ago has turned around and become an offensive juggernaut. Carolina rolled past Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Mike Krzyzewski's final home game as a collegiate head coach. The Tar Heels put up 94 points on the Blue Devils and came into the NCAA Tournament with a full head of steam. They then crushed Marquette by scoring over 50 points in the first half alone. They destroyed Shaka Smart's Golden Eagles and made an authoritative statement heading into Saturday. The Tar Heels now get the No. 1 seed in their region, the Baylor Bears, creating a little bit of history for anyone thinking about a North Carolina Baylor prediction.
In 1990, Dean Smith took his eighth-seeded North Carolina team up against No. 1 seed Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament's Southeast Region, as it was called then. Oklahoma made the Final Four in 1988, was a No. 1 seed in 1989, and was a top seed yet again in 1990. The Sooners had an elite program and were trying to chase down a national championship. The Tar Heels had made the Sweet 16 nine straight years heading into the 1990 NCAA Tournament, but that streak seemed likely to end. Instead, Rick Fox — who enjoyed a long and successful NBA career, including championships with the Los Angeles Lakers — hit a leaner at the buzzer to stun Oklahoma and lift the Tar Heels past the No. 1 seed. This is what UNC will try to replicate against the defending national champions of college basketball.
Baylor will be without one of its top offensive players, L.J. Cryer, in this game. The Bears are also without Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, an elite defensive forward, for this game. Tchamwa Tchatchoua is out for the season, while Cryer could return next week. To get Cryer back, of course, Baylor has to get through this game and advance to the Sweet 16.
Baylor coach Scott Drew has worked around lots of injuries — not just the Cryer and Tchamwa Tchatchoua ones — all season long. Baylor has experience playing with various adjusted and improvised lineups. The question is if North Carolina's surge in quality will overwhelm the Bears' defense, or if Baylor can smother UNC's rejuvenated attack. This is the central question for anyone examining a North Carolina Baylor pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the North Carolina-Baylor odds:
March Madness Odds: North Carolina-Baylor Odds
North Carolina: +5.5 (-110)
Baylor: -5.5 (-110)
Over: 148 (-110)
Under: 148 (-110)
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Why North Carolina Could Cover the Spread
The Tar Heels are one of the hottest teams in the country, and Baylor is undermanned at multiple positions.
Why Baylor Could Cover the Spread
The Bears' defense is unlike anything North Carolina has seen in the ACC.
Final North Carolina-Baylor Prediction & Pick
North Carolina crushed Marquette, but this is where the lack of heft in the ACC will catch up with the Tar Heels. Baylor will be hyped for this game, not just the Heels.
Final North Carolina-Baylor Pick: Baylor -5.5
