It took less than a week for the first three rounds of the March Madness betting tournament to be completed, and while the all four No. 1 seeds made it through to the Sweet 16, there were some underdog stories that made it through, most notably in the Midwest region, where the 11th-seeded North Carolina State Wolfpack and 13th-seeded Ohio Bobcats have each made it through. The Wolfpack were all over the San Diego State Aztecs from the opening tipoff in a 14-point first-round win, and then did just enough to knock off a No. 3 seed in Georgetown to get through the third round, but it won’t get any easier for North Carolina State in the Sweet 16, with the overrated/underrated Kansas Jayhawks waiting for them. Meanwhile, the Bobcats had no problem with the Michigan Wolverines when the tournament got to 64 teams, and then knocked off an SFU team that dominated Temple to earn a date with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet 16. Both matchups favor the higher seed as listed on Betonline, but then again, this is the Madness and anything can happen.
(13) Ohio Bobcats vs. (1) North Carolina Tar Heels
Friday, 3:23 PM ET
The Bobcats weren’t expected to even get through Michigan in the round of 64, and yet suddenly here is Ohio in the Sweet 16 with DJ Cooper the cover boy for this year’s potential Cinderella team. Cooper has averaged 20 points in the team’s two wins, but North Carolina is bound to be a much greater test than both the Wolverines and SFU, even without starting point guard Kendall Marshall. Marshall will likely rest his surgically-repaired wrist to try and prepare for the Elite Eight where UNC will actually need him, while Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and Michael McAdoo show off their size and athleticism down low. The Tar Heels will definitely have a hard time winning it all if Marshall isn’t at his best, but a Sweet 16 matchup against a Bobcats’ team that can already consider their tournament a success could be a blessing in disguise for one of the most talented teams in the March Madness.
March Madness Betting Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels
(11) North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. (2) Kansas Jayhawks
Friday, 10:17 PM ET
It seems as if with every passing game the number on Kansas changes, as the price per head bookies continue to try and figure out what to make of a Jayhawks’ team that dominated during the regular season, but has been so inconsistent in the tournament. Bill Self’s squad trailed for virtually the entire game against the Purdue Boilermakers before etching out a close win at the end, and with Thomas Robinson going just 2-for-12 from the field, Elijah Robinson really had to step up. A lot of people thought that the Wolfpack should have been seeded higher than they were, and with so much athleticism and talent throughout the lineup, there is a good possibility for an upset here.
March Madness Betting Pick: North Carolina State Wolfpack
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