#11 North Carolina vs #6 Ole Miss NCAAB Pick: UNC Aims to Stay Hot (Mar 21)

• North Carolina dominated San Diego State in the First Four, winning 95-68.
• Ole Miss came up short against Auburn, losing 62-57 in the SEC Quarterfinals.
• These teams last met on March 1, 1926, in a game that North Carolina won 38-23.

North Carolina and Ole Miss meet in an exciting first round matchup. The Tar Heels are favored after dominating San Diego State, but the Rebels cannot be overlooked. The winner of this game may draw a matchup against 3-seed Iowa State, but first needs to survive the first round.

North Carolina Enters Red-Hot

North Carolina proved all of the doubters wrong in the First Four, blowing San Diego State out from start to finish. Whether that was more about the Tar Heels being underrated or the Aztecs being overrated is still to be determined, but I suspect it’s likely a combination of both.

In order to continue proving that the Selection Committee made the right choice to include them, North Carolina sets their eyes on an Ole Miss team that not many are favoring for a deep run. They enter this game as the favorite, despite being the lower seed by a good margin.

Ole Miss Flying Under the Radar

Ole Miss can’t be too pleased about being an underdog as the 6-seed, and will come out playing with something to prove. The Rebels are better than people give them credit for, ranking in the top-30 both offensively and defensively. They’ll put their experience to the test.

Leading the way for Ole Miss is Virginia Tech transfer Sean Pedulla. Averaging just under 15 ppg, Pedulla leads a deep Rebels roster that can get buckets in a variety of ways. Their defense hasn’t been as consistent, though, and will need to be at its best against North Carolina.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Ole Miss Rebels Pick

I had North Carolina in the Elite 8 even before their thumping of San Diego State. They were disrespected by many and came out playing mad and that trend is likely to continue. While Ole Miss can’t be overlooked, I do see them having trouble slowing down North Carolina’s experienced offense. Ultimately, the Tar Heels are likely to keep their run alive a bit longer.