The will attempt to reach the Elite Eight for the fourth time in the past nine seasons on Thursday night when they face the in a 2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 showdown. Tipoff in the West Region matchup is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in
Los Angeles. The No. 1-seeded Tar Heels (29-7) advanced on the strength of an 85-69 victory Saturday over Michigan State. The No. 4-seeded Crimson Tide (23-11) advanced by outlasting upstart Grand Canyon 72-61 on Sunday in the second round. UNC's previous three trips to the Elite Eight since 2017 resulted in one national championship and two runner-up finishes. The Tar Heels are 4-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 173.5 in the latest North Carolina vs.
Alabama odds via SportsLine consensus. Before making any Alabama vs. North Carolina picks, you need to . The model simulates every Div. I college
basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 152-109 roll on all top-rated dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It also has a strong 32-21 (+890) record on top-rated spread picks this season, and it called 13 Sweet 16 teams this year. Anyone following it has seen huge returns. Now, the model has set its sights on and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can . Here are several and trends for Alabama vs. UNC: The Tar Heels already believed they were poised for a deep NCAA Tournament run behind one of the most talented and experienced rosters remaining in the field. But now they will have even more confidence knowing they can overcome adversity, as they did on Saturday in the second round against Michigan State. The No. 9-seeded Spartans came out poised and sharp, while the Tar Heels appeared a bit lethargic. Michigan State took advantage and led by double figures for most of the first half, and North Carolina faced the real possibility of a massive halftime deficit. Trailing 28-17 with 8 minutes left, forwards and went to work to pull the Tar Heels back into the game. Bacot started looking for his offense and used his power inside to get high-percentage shots, while Ingram controlled the glass on both ends. Suddenly, what appeared to be a dire deficit turned into a 40-31 halftime edge. The Tar Heels fended off one more Michigan State rally before pulling away comfortably in the second half. Bacot finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Ingram notched 17 points and seven boards. scored a team-high 20 points. . Although the Tide rank second in the country in scoring offense (90.7 ppg), there were concerns surrounding a defense that allows 80.9 points per contest, ranking No. 345 out of 351 Division I programs. In other words, conventional wisdom suggested Alabama would simply have to win shootouts because its defense likely wouldn't hold up in March. In the second round, the Tide faced a challenge against a Grand Canyon club known for its efficient offense and a club that hit several key shots in its 75-66 win over Saint Mary's, the top-ranked defensive team in the country. Although it was a bit of an ugly game for both sides, Alabama's defense stepped up to get numerous key stops down the stretch as it held off numerous Grand Canyon rallies. In all, Alabama held the Lopes to 32.1%
shooting and forced 14 turnovers. led the way with 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. . SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 162 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. .