Check out our Marquette vs. North Carolina betting picks and odds for the NCAA tournament East Region opening-round game between the two teams that will take place in Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, on March 17, 2022.
The North Carolina Tar Heels did not have a good regular season by their standards as they finished second in the ACC with a 24-9 record. Still, the blowout win against Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game boosted their confidence and they are all fired up hoping for a deep run in the tournament despite the fact that they have a tough opponent in the very first round. The Tar Heels failed in the conference final losing 72-59 to Virginia Tech after they defeated Virginia in the semis. UNC is ranked 28th in the nation scoring 78.6 per game and is even better in rebounding as they stand 14th with 36.9 boards per game. The Tar Heels are also a dangerous shooting team as they make 37.4% of their three-point attempts and are solid from the line with 77%.
A Little Background on our Marquette vs. North Carolina Picks
The Marquette Golden Eagles are a dark-horse candidate in this year’s tournament. They are coming in the tournament after finishing fifth in the Big East with a 19-12 record which does not show how good this team really is. Marquette defeated Villanova twice this season as well as Illinois. They lost in the conference quarterfinal game against Creighton 74-63. Marquette’s defense is questionable as they allow 70.8 points per game which ranks them 226th in the nation.
North Carolina is 3.5 points favorite against Marquette. The Tar Heels have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 games but in only 1 of their last 6 NCAA tournament games. The Tar Heels has played under total points in 10 of their last 13 games playing on a neutral site as favorites.
Marquette has covered the spread in 7 of the last 8 games as an underdog but in only 1 of their last 7 games overall. They have played under the total points in 9 of their last 13 games on a neutral field and in 5 of the last 7 games as an underdog.
Marquette vs. North Carolina Game Info
Date/Time: 3/17/2022 at 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX
Marquette vs. North Carolina Odds Analysis
The North Carolina Tar Heels are 3.5 favorites to win this game with a -110 odds. The money line for their win goes from -170 to -175 while Marquette is from +141 to +150.
The total point margin is set at 152.5 with both ways set at -110.
For more information on NCAAB betting, you could read through our detailed breakdown of betting on March Madness.
Marquette vs. North Carolina Predictions
Here are my Marquette vs. North Carolina predictions for Thursday’s NCAAB matchup.
North Carolina -3.5 (-110)
The North Carolina Tar Heels are still fired up after ruining Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game as they defeated Duke by 94-81 in the regular-season finale. The Tar Heels will dominate the boards against Marquette and will use those extra possessions to win the game. They led the ACC in rebounds per game and are ranked 14th in the nation. Marquette is dangerous from the three-point line and has won 11 of 12 games when they made 10 or more threes. Anyway, that won’t be the case tonight and North Carolina will advance against the spread win.
Under 152.5 (-110)
It is hard to place a bet under the total point margin when two good three-point shooting teams play against each other. North Carolina is at 37% from deep while Marquette is at 34%. The Tar Heels are not the best defensive team when it comes to protecting the arc but the high energy and the pressure will see both teams shooting under their respective averages. There will be periods of the game with long possessions and tough shots which will end this game under 152.5 points.