March Madness 2014 Odds - Free Pick - North Carolina vs. Providence Betting Preview

Line: North Carolina -4

North Carolina has been an extremely streaky team this season. They have 9 losses this season including bad losses to Belmont and UAB. They also had mid season losses to Wake Forest, Miami, Syracuse, and Virginia. However they also had a 12 game winning streak in the middle of the season. They also achieved an incredible feat by beating the number one team in the country at the time of the game in (Michigan State), the number two team in the country (Syracuse), the number 3 team in the country (Louisville), and the number 5 team in the country (Duke). They then concluded their season by losing back-to-back games to Duke and Pitt. To call this team inconsistent would be an understatement. But to call this team a Final Four contender would not be a crazy statement either. Providence is coming off the Big East conference tournament championship. While the Big East was diminished by a loss of many teams in the offseason it was still a tough league and to be the champion is quite an accomplishment.

The Friars are led by arguably the best guard in the tournament and certainly the one that is the least heralded. He pit on a dominant performance in the championship game that capped off a special season in which he averaged over 21 points per game to go along with just under 6 points per game. He has tremendous leadership skills and will make Providence a tough out for North Carolina or any other team they may play down the road. LaDontae Henton is an all around player that averages just under 14 points per game and just under 8 rebounds per game. He is an all around athlete that specializes in being in the right place at the right time. Kadeem Batts averages just over 12 points per game and just under 8 rebounds while Tyler Harris is the 4th double figure scorer at 11.5 points per game.

North Carolina is led by a star point guard of their own in Marcus Paige. He will have the ball in his hands for the entire game and is the engine that drives he Tar Heels. He averages almost 5 assists a game to go along with over 17 points per game. He hit an astounding 79 three pointers throughout the year and is not afraid to take the big shot. James Michael McAdoo averaged over 14 points per game and almost 7 rebounds. He has an unorthodox style of play that confuses his teammates just as often as it confuses other teams. He did get to the foul line nearly 250 times, however he is only a 54% shooter from the stripe. Brice Johnson and Leslie McDonald are the other double figure scorers, both of whom average a little over 10 points per game. This is an unpredictable game and it is certain to be interesting.

Pick: North Carolina -4

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