North Carolina had a tough first half against gritty Florida Gulf Coast in the Round of 64 on Thursday night. But they hung tough before putting their excellence on display to blowout their opponents in the second half. They now face Providence, who are coming off a come-from-behind victory against USC. Don’t sleep on the Friars, though. They can hang tough even with the best teams in the nation. They own regular season upsets of Arizona, Villanova and Butler.
The No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels were up by just one point against No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast after the first half. But they went on a 20-3 burst to start the second half. The Tar Heels never looked back as they went unchecked in the second half to win 83-67.
Brice Johnson led the way with 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting and seven rebounds. He was also an impenetrable wall as North Carolina’s rim defender. He had a whopping eight blocks against Florida Gulf Coast. Johnson will have a tougher matchup next. He’ll have to come face-to-face against Providence’s Ben Bentil.
North Carolina will need their guards to be at the top of their games. They’ll take on one of the best point guards in the nation, Kris Dunn. Marcus Paige struggled with his shot in the Round of 64, making just 3 of 11 field goal attempts for 10 points. But he made up for his bad shooting by setting up his teammates, finishing with six assists. Joel Berry II struggled from deep (1 of 7), but shot 5 of 7 inside the arc for 14 points.
The Tar Heels go pretty deep in this matchup. Six players are averaging more than nine points per game this season. They’ll enjoy plenty of production across their depth chart, while Providence relies mostly on just three players when it comes to scoring.
The Tar Heels are 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
Betting on the Providence Friars
Kris Dunn provided the distraction. Rodney Bullock came out unchecked for the go-ahead layup with just 1.5 seconds left to beat USC 70-69 on Thursday night. Bullock was the hero of the night. But make no mistake; Providence is centered on the play of their dynamic duo of Dunn and Ben Bentil.
Dunn is one of the best point guards in the nation. He’s second on the team with 16 points per game. He also chips in 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He was solid against USC on Thursday night, finishing with 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting. He went a stellar 4 of 5 from three-point range.
Bentil provided the bulk of the offense with 19 points. He added nine rebounds as he barely missed a double-double. Bullock had the best night of the bunch with 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Depth remains a concern for Providence. If Dunn, Bentil and Bullock are kept in check, then they may not have the necessary personnel to keep them in the game. But Kyron Cartwright did show some promise in the Round of 64. He finished with 10 points and five assists to provide a spark off the bench against USC.
The Friars are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against the ACC.
Writer’s Prediction
A challenge in the first round would keep North Carolina on their toes. The Tar Heels blow out Providence to advance into the Sweet 16.
