The North Carolina Tar Heels are 15-0 straight up and 9-5-1 against the spread in their last 15 games as a favorite of seven points or more. The Tar Heels will try to advance to the Elite Eight as the biggest favorite on the college basketball odds this Friday with a win over the Butler Bulldogs.
NCAA Tournament odds 2017: North Carolina, Baylor betting favorites for early Friday slate
Friday’s Sweet 16 action at the NCAA Tournament begins with Butler vs. North Carolina and South Carolina vs. Baylor.
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No. 1 North Carolina is a 7.5-point favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. After appearing to be in complete control for most of the game against Arkansas last Sunday, the Tar Heels blew their lead late in the game and trailed 65-60 with under three minutes to go. But the team bucked down and finished the game on a 12-0 run, securing a trip to the Sweet 16 with a 72-65 win.
With that win, North Carolina moved to 16-4 SU in its last 20 games against teams with winning records.
While North Carolina has thrived as a big favorite, No. 4 Butler has also enjoyed success as an underdog. The Bulldogs are 5-3 SU and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as a betting underdog per the OddsShark College Basketball Database. In its last game as a dog, Butler went on the road and beat Villanova 74-66 as a 10-point underdog.
No. 7 South Carolina averaged 73.1 points per game to rank 179th in the nation on offense this regular season and played its way into the tournament with a shutdown defense that allowed 65.2 points per game. But here in the tournament, led by senior guard Sindarius Thornwell, the Gamecocks have averaged 90.5 points per game en route to wins over No. 10 Marquette and No. 2 Duke.
The Gamecocks will try to pick up another upset as 3.5-point underdogs Friday against the No. 3 Baylor Bears.
With both No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Duke getting bounced out of the East Region in the second round, Baylor suddenly sits as the top seed in the region. The Bears fended off pesky USC with an 82-78 win on Sunday and enter Friday’s game against South Carolina with a 9-1 SU record in their last 10 games against SEC opponents.
Baylor is also 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in its last three games against the Gamecocks.
