Michigan State Spartans vs North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA Tournament Second Round Betting Pick & Prediction 3/23/24

The Spartans and Tar Heels are set to face off at 12:00 ET on CBS. The Tar Heels will host the game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 140.5 points, and North Carolina is favored by -3.5 vs. Michigan State.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS VS NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS BETTING PICK

The Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels -3.5

This game will be played at Spectrum Center at 12:00 ET on Saturday, March 23rd.

WHY BET THE NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-68 in favor of the Tar Heels.
• Not only will North Carolina pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -3.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 140.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.

Are the Spartans Ready for a Win at Charlotte?

Following their most recent victory, a 69-51 win over Mississippi State, Michigan State’s record now stands at 20-14. This season, the Spartans have a 4-9 record on the road and a 16-6 record overall. Michigan State’s ATS record heading into today’s game stands at 21-14. When playing on the road vs. the spread, the Spartans are 8-5, while they are 13-9 at home vs. the spread.

Through 34 games, Michigan State has an over/under record of 14-21-0 with their games averaging a combined 138.2 points per game so far. Looking at the Spartans’ last three games, their over/under record is 1-2 with their games averaging 130 points per game.

The Michigan State offense is coming off a game in which they scored 69 points vs. Mississippi State. Overall their field goal percentage was 50% while connecting on 10 threes. Leading the team in scoring is Tyson Walker, who is averaging 18.2 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Malik Hall also maintains a PPG average of 12.6 heading into game.

Currently, the Spartans’ defense holds the 24th rank in the nation, allowing 65.5 points per game. Against Mississippi State, the Spartans’ defense gave up 51 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Mississippi State only made 5 free-throws.

Will North Carolina Come Through as Home Favorites?

North Carolina, with a record of 28-7, faces off against Michigan State. The Tar Heels have a road record of 9-4 and a home record of 20-3. Up to this point, North Carolina has been strong vs. the spread, sitting at 20-16. Over their last five games, the team has gone 3-2 ATS.

Up to this point, games involving North Carolina have had an average of 151.3 points per game, with the average over/under line set at 151.8 points. Their over/under record is 18-18-0. In the Tar Heels’ last five games, the combined scoring average stands at 153 points per game, accompanied by an over/under record of 4-1.

North Carolina is coming off a good offensive performance, putting up 90 points vs. Wagner. This figure is more than their season average of 81.5 points per game. The North Carolina offense has been looking to get up shots from outside so far this season, averaging 22.4 three-point attempts per contest. Overall, they have connected on 35% of their looks from outside this season.

So far, the Tar Heels’ defense is ranked 113rd in the country at 69.9 points per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.1 threes per game vs. Michigan State. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 31.2%.