Two of the most storied programs in college basketball will face off in the Elite Eight with only one Final Four spot available. The No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels will aim to knock off the No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats.
Both teams are once again among the best in the nation and worthy of making the NCAA Tournament semifinals. They are also among the top national championship contenders since some of the other best teams have already been knocked out.
North Carolina may be the slimmest of favorites, but Kentucky knocked off a talented UCLA team last time out and is more than capable of winning this game as well.
At 5:05 p.m. ET, tune into CBS for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Sunday, March 26, 2017, at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds available for this and every game on the college basketball Sunday schedule.
College Basketball Odds
Kentucky is 32-5 straight up and 18-17-2 against the spread. The Wildcats are 5-3-2 against the spread at neutral site games. Kentucky has only been the underdog twice this season, covering in its last game against UCLA as a one-point underdog.
North Carolina is 30-7 straight up and 20-16-1 against the spread. The Tar Heels have covered in five of eight games on a neutral court this season. North Carolina is 20-14-1 against the spread as the favorite on the season. North Carolina could be an underdog as well. If so, it is 0-2 trying to cover when getting points.
Key Stat
85. That’s the number of points per game both teams average this season, which is in the top-10 in the NCAA. This will likely be played at an extremely quick place as the teams are littered with supreme athletes.
Kentucky has scored 79, 65 and 86 points in its wins over Northern Kentucky, Wichita State and UCLA thus far in March Madness. North Carolina has compiled 103, 72 and 92 points in wins against Texas Southern, Arkansas and Butler.
Kentucky is led by its star freshman duo of Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox. Monk is averaging 20.0 points, 2.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. Fox is adding 16.1 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. Fox has been great in the tournament, going for a career-high 39 points last time out to help dispatch the Bruins.
The Tar Heels are led Justin Jackson, who averages 18.1 points per game and 4.7 rebounds. Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks also average more than 12 points per game apiece.
Last Meeting
These teams met in the regular season and Kentucky pulled out a 103-100 victory. Monk had a gigantic game in that one, scoring a ridiculous 47 points to lead his team to the win. He hit 18-of-28 shots from the field and hit eight three-pointers.
North Carolina stuck in it despite Monk’s dominance but couldn’t quite get the important buckets down the stretch. Jackson had 34 points in the game while Berry added 23.
Both teams shot better than 53 percent in the game, as it was an ultra entertaining affair.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
North Carolina has the advantage inside but Kentucky’s guards are playing at a high level. Fox is a supreme talent and was fantastic against a tough UCLA team. He will aim to keep it up in this matchup.
The first matchup between these teams was a ton of fun, and hopefully this one lives up to that billing. It won’t be as high scoring as it is doubtful both sides shoot so well.
Look for Fox, not Monk, to take control of this one and lead Kentucky to a victory and a berth in the Final Four. Take the “under” if the scoring total gets too high based on the points from the first matchup.
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky 83, North Carolina 77
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