Schedule: Friday, March 25, 3 p.m. ET
Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Line: North Carolina (-6)
Whether you’re a fan of either one of these teams or not, there won’t be many NCAA basketball fans that aren’t watching when the North Carolina Tar Heels and Indiana Hoosiers take the floor on Friday. The Tar Heels are the champions of the ACC, while the Hoosiers are coming off of an impressive win over the Kentucky Wildcats in a game that was almost too good to be played in the second round of the tournament.
What To Watch For: North Carolina
Sometimes the defensive plan for North Carolina is not to play any. They tend to sleepwalk at times, block five shots and go on offensive spurts about four times a game. They’re so talented that it works. Most recently, they endured a close first half but put up 51 in the second and pulled down a total of 37 rebounds . One thing is certain: They won’t be beaten on the boards by this Hoosier team, and Indiana is going to need more than three guys to score in double figures. But it’s difficult to see where they’re going to get that type of offensive production from. North Carolina, on the other hand, has about six guys who can legitimately score in double figures.
North Carolina panics if games are close late. Still, they have more offensive talent than Indiana. Expect a tight first half and struggles throughout, but the Tar Heels will pull away with about about five minutes left on the game clock.
Prediction: North Carolina 78, Indiana 72