2. (8) North Carolina vs (9) Wisconsin
LINE: North Carolina -1.5
ATS PICK: North Carolina
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
Wisconsin is going to get drilled by North Carolina, and if it doesn’t, that’s North Carolina’s fault.
When was the last time Tar Heels lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? 1999.
The Bill Guthridge-led 3-seed was shocked by Weber State, and before that you have to go all the way back to 1978 for a UNC team that got bounced out right away.
But it’s more than that – it’s about rebounds. Wisconsin doesn’t get them, and North Carolina does.
Wisconsin has a whole lot of Wisconsin-ey stats that make it look like it’s playing well but it’s really, really not. Despite all the experience, all the upperclassmen, and the decent defense, the team just doesn’t rebound.
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How many times have the Badgers come up with at least 40 rebounds in a game? Once. They got 45 against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
They got 30 rebounds or more 17 times, and only five of those games were against teams in the tournament – Iowa twice, Maryland, Rutgers, Loyola. The Badgers lost two of those games, were outrebounded in three of them, and only got one more board than the Ramblers.
North Carolina? It came up with over 50 rebounds twice, more than 40 13 times, and more than 30 IN EVERY GAME but a loss to Florida State, and even in that it still won the rebounding margin.
Wisconsin is an okay shooting team, but it’s never going to get second chance points, and North Carolina will.