No. 1 Wisconsin avoided an upset in the Round of 32, edging Oregon to enter the Sweet 16. The Badgers now have a date with the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels, who like to get up and down the court. All is set for an action-packed Sweet 16 matchup between two of the nation’s top teams. Can Wisconsin slow down the Tar Heels’ furious pace? Read on as we break down what should be an action-packed contest.
Don’t miss out on Sweet 16 action. Check out our complete previews for Duke vs. Utah and Oklahoma vs. Michigan State.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels Preview
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
When: Thursday, March 26, 7:47 PM ET
Line: No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels – view all March Madness lines
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
Despite shooting just 43 percent (its worst shooting game of the month) and getting outrebounded, 32-27, Wisconsin still eked out a closer-than-expected 72-65 win over Oregon on Sunday night.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Sam Dekker led the Badgers with 17 points, while Frank Kaminsky wasn’t too far behind with 16. Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig also made some big baskets, finishing with 14 and 12 points respectively.
Dekker, Kaminsky and Hayes should be up for big games against a North Carolina side that could possibly be missing one of its best forwards. They combine to score 43.5 of Wisconsin’s 71.9 points per game. The trio has also been excellent on the boards averaging 20 rebounds per game.
While Wisconsin’s guards may not have the same scoring prowess as their frontcourt teammates, they could keep up with North Carolina’s fast-paced attack. Josh Gasser, in particular, has just 13 total points in the first two tournament games. But he’s made up for it with four steals. North Carolina isn’t particularly good at taking care of the ball. The Tar Heels average 12.9 turnovers per game, 221st in the nation.
The Badgers have won nine of their last 10 games, but are just 4-6 against the spread over that span.
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Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels
Marcus Paige scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half as the North Carolina Tar Heels beat Arkansas 87-78 to advance to the Sweet 16. Paige was far from perfect, though. He missed seven of eight shots in the first half before making 4-of-6, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in the second. Paige was also effective in drawing contact to gain foul shots. He was a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Paige and J.P. Tokoto will be vital for North Carolina to push the pace against Wisconsin, especially in transition. North Carolina outscored Arkansas 26-7 in transition points. Tokoto assisted on six of the Tar Heels’ baskets in transition. He finished with a team-high eight assists.
Wisconsin plays one of the slowest paces in college basketball (just 59.4 possessions per 40 minutes) while UNC plays one of the fastest (69.4 per 40 minutes). The Tar Heels will have a major advantage if they can force the Badgers to play faster and get out of their offensive rhythm.
The Tar Heels could challenge Wisconsin inside in the halfcourt as well. North Carolina has had 15 games with 40 or more points in the paint, the second-most among major conference teams. Forward Justin Jackson is averaging 15 points on 52 percent shooting in the tournament thus far. He should be North Carolina’s main man in the frontcourt with Kennedy Meeks nursing a knee sprain.
Meeks has been vital for North Carolina. He has averaged 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds this season. But he shouldn’t be missed too much. The Tar Heels have a viable alternative in Isaiah Hicks, who’s scored 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting in 30 minutes of play at the tournament thus far. Meanwhile, Brice Johnson should still be a strong contributor on the boards. He’s averaging 10 rebounds per game at the Big Dance.
The Tar Heels are 4-2 against the spread in their last six games.
Writer’s Prediction
Speed kills. North Carolina puts on a furious pace to upset Wisconsin.
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