North Carolina looks to put an end to Marquette's Cinderella run when the No. 2 Tar Heels battle 11-seeded Marquette.
UNC is favored by only 4.5 points in this battle, which is small considering the talent imbalance. The Heels are simply better abd deeper than the Eagles.
Marquette doesn't rebound very well, so either they shoot out the lights, or the Tar Heels cover this spread and move to the Elite Eight.
View Marquette vs North Carolina Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Tar Heels at No. 8 and the Golden Eagles at No. 85 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 82-80 result in favor of the Tar Heels.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits North Carolina's No. 19-ranked offense, averaging 77.7 PPG, against a Golden Eagles defense that ranks No. 195 at 68.5 PPG. The Tar Heels field goal percentage has averaged 45.2% so far, less than the Golden Eagles marksmen have achieved on the year, 46.8% per game.
Defensively, Marquette features the nation's No. 184-rated defense on the road, allowing 70.8 points per game. North Carolina, meanwhile, comes in at No. 28 nationally in scoring at home.
Marquette won its last outing, a 66-62 result against Syracuse on March 20. They covered in that game as a 4.5-point underdog.
North Carolina won its last outing, an 86-83 result against Washington on March 20. They failed to cover in that game as a 3.5-point favorite.
Marquette Golden Eagles Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
After playing Syracuse are 4-1
After a win are 4-6
North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
After a win are 9-1
A few Golden Eagles at Tar Heels trends to consider:
North Carolina is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
North Carolina is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
