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Edgar Chaput
Wagner (16) vs. North Carolina (1) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
If anyone is unsure who the Wagner Seahawks are, that might be because their 71-68 victory over Howard on Tuesday granted them passage to March Madness for the first time since 2003 and only the fifth time ever. Anyone familiar with the North Carolina Tar Heels knows its greatest product, Michael Jordan. The program hopes to write another success story as the West bracket’s number one seed.
The March Madness odds heavily favour Jordan’s alma matter at -24.5.
Wagner Seahawks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Wagner and North Carolina have never butted heads on the hardwood floor before given the former’s irregular participation in the tournament.
Data on the Seahawks with regards to March Madness is limited. How could it be otherwise? The last time the school made it to the second round was 1969. That the Seahawks are here at all is a minor miracle given they finished sixth in the NEC with a 7-9 record in their conference. Here they are nevertheless and riding a four-game winning streak both outright and against the spread, each time as an underdog.
Enter the juggernaut that is North Carolina, with caveats, truth be told. For one, they aren’t coming in hot, having lost their last playoff game against NC State. Second, they aren’t incredibly trustworthy ATS, posting a decent if unremarkable 17-13-1 tally. They failed to cover in two of their three postseason matches and are only 6-8 ATS in their last 14 games. Beware the big spreads with this team. North Carolina is but 7-7 when the spread is 10 points or above.
Wagner Seahawks (16)
Exciting basketball isn’t always what the Wagner Seahawks have to offer fans, but the important thing is they get the job done. Consider that they were outplayed in the second half against Howard and held on for dear life, winning 71-68.
Moreover, those 71 points represent an outlier for the team. On average, in NEC matches this season, Wagner put up on 63.5. They were the second lowest scoring team in their division. On the flip side, they only conceded only 62.1, which represented the best defence. They also allowed the fewest shot attempts by opponents (53.8). The method of victory is basically to slow the game down and win in a slug fest. Guard Melvin Council Jr. averaged an excellent 1.4 steals per game this season. What’s more, he’s also the side’s points leader with 14.6. Both he and fellow guard Tahron Allen average a little over five rebounds a game, 5.7 and 5.1, respectively. That said, this is definitely not a very good shooting team (39.2 per cent).
North Carolina Tar Heels (1)
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are the Tar Heels. Score tons of points and don’t let the other team score too many. Don’t worry about not having a superbly stellar defence. Just one that’s good enough.
Granted, giving up 70.2 a night is by no means bad. In fact, it’s lower than what the average ACC offence puts up. But it’s more the 81.5 points that North Carolina scores that should worry opponents. RJ Davis is having a good season, putting up 21.4, bolstered by 3.5 assists. Armando Bacot is a rebounding machine with 10.2, although Harrison Ingram is not far behind with 9.0. Bacot also nets 14.1 points.
WAG
UNC