UNC Basketball: Tar Heels open as favorites over Wisconsin

The UNC Basketball program earned the No. 8 seed in the South Region and is getting set to open up their 2021 NCAA Tournament run with a date against No. 9 seed Wisconsin out of the Big Ten.

With UNC coming off an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in which they went 2-1 with their lone loss coming to Florida State by 3 in the semifinals, the Tar Heels are playing better basketball of late and helped their stock in late March. This came a month after the team was on the bubble and their tournament chances were in a little doubt.

But now they are getting set to take on the Badgers Friday night with a trip to the second round likely against No. 1 Baylor on the line.

As Friday approaches, the opening lines have been set for the game and the Tar Heels are the favorites across the board. On Oddshark, UNC has opened as two-point favorites against the Badgers and that line varies a bit but it’s no higher than 2 and lower than 1. For most sites, it’s right in the middle at 15.

Now, this isn’t a huge line and Vegas obviously thinks this is going to be a close game.

Going into this one, the Tar Heels do have the advantage in the paint with their four-man rotation of Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacot, Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe. That will certainly be the challenge for Wisconsin inside and if they can’t matchup well, it could be a long day for the Badgers.

The other thing to note is the pace of the game. Wisconsin plays similar to Virginia where they want to limit possessions and dictate a slower tempo. That’s the opposite of what UNC likes to do in terms of getting out on fast breaks and scoring transition points.

For more on this game, please make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel.