North Carolina vs Ole Miss Prediction, Preview & Odds: NCAA Tournament First Round

North Carolina vs Ole Miss How To Watch

Date: Friday, March 21
Venue: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Time:4:05 pm ET
TV: TNT
Teams: (6) Ole Miss (22-11), (11) North Carolina (23-13)
Region: South
NCAA Tournament Schedule, Predictions, Previews

Why Ole Miss Will Win

Yeah, yeah, yeah, North Carolina was fantastic in the 95-68 smothering of San Diego State, but the Aztecs this year had zero ability to get the O going when it wasn’t working. No, the Tar Heels aren’t going to hit 14-of-24 from three against Ole Miss.

Ole Miss is an odd team with flaws, but it has a way of controlling the pace and tempo. In an SEC with wild offenses that flew up and down the court, Rebel games usually hung around the 70s - Ole Miss beat Alabama 74-64.

North Carolina is a team that has to score. It’s just 4-9 when it doesn’t get to 74 points, and Ole Miss allowed that many or fewer 18 times in 31 games. However …

Why North Carolina Will Win

Yeah, ha ha, San Diego State looked like it just picked up a basketball on Monday, but that was the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation that North Carolina just ripped through.

For all of the blather about how the Tar Heels were disrespected, and cared, and tried, the team was actually terrific over the last month. It ripped through a key stretch and is now 9-2 going back to February 10th. The two losses were to Duke.

Again, Ole Miss is sort of an odd SEC team. It can’t rebound at all, it commits a whole ton of fouls, and it doesn’t shoot particularly well. However …

North Carolina vs Ole Miss: Who Will Win?

Which Ole Miss team are we going to get?

Will it be the one that couldn’t beat Mississippi State, or the one that ran past Kentucky. Can it be the one that clamped down on Bama and took down Tennessee, or the one that got its doors blown off by Memphis?

It’s a sheepish all, but go with the idea the North Carolina Vindication Tour continues, and it starts by getting enough rebounds to overcome a far colder shooting day than it enjoyed in Dayton.

North Carolina vs Ole Miss Prediction, Betting Lines

Prediction: North Carolina 77, Ole Miss 74
North Carolina vs Ole Miss Betting Lines
BetMGM Line: North Carolina -1.5, o/u: 155.5
DraftKings Line: North Carolina -1.5, o/u: 155.5
FanDuel Line: North Carolina -1.5, o/u: 155.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

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