Upcoming Match-ups

Alabama vs North Carolina Odds – Tar Heels Favored in Sweet 16 Matchup

Sascha Paruk

by Sascha Paruk in College Basketball

Updated Mar 24, 2024 · 6:50 PM PDT

North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot low-fives guard RJ Davis
March 23, 2024, Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) and North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) celebrate against the Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
  • The #4 Alabama Crimson Tide will face the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2024 Sweet 16
  • Bama won an epic four-OT game against UNC last season
  • Below, find the opening Alabama vs North Carolina odds, including point spread, game total, and moneyline

In a very chalky West Region, the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels will face the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina has opened as the favorite in what projects to be a fast-paced, high-scoring game. The West Regional Sweet 16 will take place at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, on Thursday, March 28.

Alabama vs North Carolina Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide +3.5 (-110) +164 O 175 (-110)
#1 North Carolina Tar Heels  -3.5 (-110) -198 U 175 (-110)

UNC has opened as 3.5-point favorites against the spread in the Alabama vs North Carolina odds.

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Point spread as of March 24 at FanDuel. Claim the best FanDuel promos for the NCAA Tournament. Moneyline and total from DraftKings. 

North Carolina Counterpunch KOs Michigan State

After blowing by #16 Wagner in their tournament-opener (85-61), the Tar Heels were in trouble early against #9 Michigan State in the second round. MSU was up 26-14 midway through the first half and, at that point, had a 72.5% win probability according to KenPom. But the Tar Heels would go on a 26-3 run (which spanned halftime) to take a double-digit lead that was never seriously threatened.

UNC’s three leading scorers all had big games. Senior guard RJ Davis (21.3 PPG) led the way with 20 points, while senior forward Armando Bacot added 18 points and seven rebounds and  junior wing Harrison Ingram had 17 points and seven boards.

YouTube video

Davis also had a team-high 22 against Wagner and has scored at least 20 in each of his last four games.

North Carolina currently sits ninth at KenPom and was as high as sixth earlier in the season. They won the ACC regular-season title with a 17-3 record in conference play before losing in the ACC Tournament final to NC State.

Last season, Alabama took a four-overtime thriller against UNC (103-101) in Portland as part of the Phil Knight Invitational. While both teams have several new faces in their rotations, their current stars were (mostly) part of that game. Mark Sears led Alabama with 24 points and five assists. Bacot had 20 points and 10 rebounds for UNC, while Davis added 19 points, nine boards, and four dimes.

YouTube video

 

Alabama Offense Stays Hot

All season, Alabama has paired an elite offense with a highly-suspect defense. Its first-round game with #13 Charleston exemplified that dynamic to a tee. With senior guard Mark Sears scoring a game-high 30 points, the Tide hit triple-digits for the eighth time this season in a 109-93 victory. Alabama shot 60% from the field, including 56.5% from three (13-of-23).

YouTube video

Bama’s second-round game with #12 Grand Canyon was a much tamer affair by comparison. After Alabama took an eight-point lead into halftime (38-30), Grand Canyon would storm back in the second to take a 58-55 lead with six minutes to play. But Bama went on a 14-3 run to end the game and, with it, GCU’s 30-win season.

Sears led the way again with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. The Second-Team All-American has now scored at least 20 points in 15 of his last 16 games, including eight in a row.

Alabama sits 14th overall at KenPom (and 15th at Haslametrics). Their offense is fourth in efficiency, while their defense was just 118th before the GCU game.

The winner of Alabama vs UNC will face the winner of #6 Clemson vs #2 Arizona on Saturday, March 30.

 

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