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March Madness Betting – Round 2! North Carolina Has to Deal With 1-2 Punch of Providence

By Charles Jay

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The Providence Friars may have gotten lucky with their last-second basket against USC that allowed them to advance in the NCAA Tournament. But that’s in the past, as they start all over again with a chance to advance to the Sweet 16. They will have to go up against the top seed in the East region, the North Carolina Tar Heels, who had a scare for 20 minutes but then came on to win their opening round game. This one tips off at 9:40 PM ET at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, and BetAnySports customers will have an opportunity to challenge the March Madness betting odds in real time as they partake in all that is provided by Live Betting Extra.

Providence (24-10 straight up, 18-15 against the basketball point spread) took advantage of some mistakes on the part of the Trojans on Thursday night. USC played poor fundamental basketball down the stretch, missing free throws and blowing defensive assignments, including the last play of the game, where Rodney Bullock somehow shook the coverage and was alone under the basket. Can this team count on these kind of mistakes against North Carolina?

The Tar Heels (29-6 straight-up, 15-19-1 against the number) did commit a lot of miscues in the first half against Florida Gulf Coast two days ago, allowing 60% shooting in the first half before shutting down the Eagles in the second half on the way to 83-67 victory. Unquestionably they will have to play better to advance.

In the March Madness betting odds on this game by the people at BetAnySports, North Carolina is the double-digit favorite:

North Carolina Tar Heels -10
Providence Friars +10

Over 151 points -110
Under 151 points -110

Providence appears to be in nice form, winning and covering five of its last six games, but the Friars have allowed their last two opponents – Villanova and USC – to shoot over 52%, and that is usually not a formula for victory. In point of fact, Providence has been out-shot by their opponents by a 43.7% to 42.1% margin. Their saving grace is that they force a lot of turnovers – 15 per game, and that creates extra opportunities for them. This is not a strong shooting team from beyond the arc either, as they hit just 32% of their three-pointers.

They have a great 1-2 punch, however, considering the talents of power forward Ben Bentil, who led the Big East this season with a 21-point average, and point guard Kris Dunn, two-time conference player of the year.

North Carolina, as BetAnySports patrons are aware, is one of the most athletic teams in the country, but they had been even worse than Providence from the arc, making just 31.5% of their attempts, which was worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They hope to do some business on the inside with Brice Johnson (16.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game). Kennedy Marks, who plays upfront with Johnson, is seeking some redemption, as he had only four points against Florida Gulf Coast.

There might be some concern with matchups in the backcourt for the Tar Heels. Marcus Paige and Joel Berry are extremely capable and cat-quick. But Providence starts big guards, like the 6-4 Dunn and 6-5 Junior Lomomba. So expect the Friars to try to exploit that. They will need every advantage they can get as this is almost a home game for North Carolina.

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