Favored North Carolina A Solid Pick Against High-Scoring Alabama
Alabama vs North Carolina Betting Odds Favors Tar Heels in West Region Semifinal

Top-Seeded North Carolina Eyeing Second Final Four in Three Years
It might not be the easiest of nights for the NCAAB scoreboard operator with two of the top offensive teams in the country square off in the West Regional semifinals. The Alabama vs North Carolina betting odds favor the top-seeded Tar Heels.
North Carolina won six of the 11 meetings with Alabama. This will be the third meeting in the last five seasons with North Carolina winning in 2019 and Alabama victorious in 2022. The Crimson Tide covered in both of those games. That is something worthy of consideration when it comes to the March Madness bracket predictions.
The college basketball lines has North Carolina favored by four points against Alabama. The Tar Heels are priced at -190 to win the game outright compared to a +163 Moneyline for Alabama.
Four of the last six times that North Carolina won in the Sweet 16, the Tar Heels would advance to the Final Four. Alabama’s history in March Madness games includes a 1-9 record in regional semifinals.
When looking at the NCAA basketball rankings, North Carolina dropped one spot to No. 5 in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls. Alabama moved up one spot to No. 18 in the coaches poll and remained at No. 19 in the AP rankings.
North Carolina is tied for fifth at +1200 in the odds of winning March Madness. Alabama (+3500) is ahead of only Clemson, North Carolina State, and San Diego State in the championship odds.
Keep on reading for more on the West Regional Sweet 16 matchup between Alabama and North Carolina.
Sweet 16 Round
Alabama vs North Carolina 
Day/Time:
Records: Alabama (23-11)/North Carolina (29-7)
Location: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Streaming: CBS
Sears, Crimson Tide Look to Cash In
Despite its second-lowest scoring game of the season, Alabama found a way to get past the upset-minded Grand Canyon squad to advance to the regionals for the third time in the last four NCAAB seasons.
Alabama hit the 100-point mark 10 times this season and had at least 90 points seven other times.
Senior guard Mark Sears continues to put on a show in March Madness with 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists in the first two games in the tournament. He has scored in double figures in four of five NCAA tournament games since transferring from Ohio.
Sears had 23 points against Clemson in his only other game this season against a team from the ACC. That is something to consider when it comes to the Alabama vs North Carolina betting odds.
Alabama has covered in two of its last seven games.
Tar Heels Planting the Seeds
North Carolina has looked like a national title contender since the start of the March Madness bracket after falling to North Carolina State in the ACC tournament final.
The Tar Heels never trailed in the first round against Wagner and after trailing by double digits for nearly two minutes in the second round versus Michigan State, the Tar Heels scored 23 of the final 26 points in the first half and never trailed after halftime.
RJ Davis had eight points and Cormac Ryan added six points as North Carolina outscored Michigan State by 12 points over the last 10 minutes to improve to 7-1 over its last eight NCAA tournament games.
North Carolina’s top four scorers have combined to start 501 NCAAB games. Keep that in mind when looking at the Alabama vs North Carolina betting odds.
North Carolina is 5-2 against the spread in its last seven games.
Last Meeting
The teams combined for 50 points in the four overtime periods but Alabama’s defense held North Carolina scoreless for the final 92 seconds in the 103-101 victory in the third-place game in the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon.
The 2022 game went over the 154.5-point total on a North Carolina free throw 24 seconds into the first of the four overtime sessions.
After making the regionals just once in 28 seasons, Alabama is a win away from its third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last four seasons.
Alabama vs North Carolina Betting Odds
With the belief that teams with veteran guards have the advantage at this time of the season, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see these NCAAB teams meeting in the West Regional semifinal. North Carolina’s RJ Davis has more than 2000 points with Cormac Ryan over 1500 career points. Alabama’s Mark Sears is also a 2000-point scorer.
Dating back to 1998, North Carolina is 6-1 in its last seven March Madness games against a No. 4 seed. The Tar Heels covered in each of those six victories.
Alabama’s last game in the NCAA tournament to a No. 1 seed was a 23-point loss as the 11-point underdog to Villanova in 2018. The last time Alabama knocked off a No. 1 seed came in 2004 against Stanford.
Alabama freshman guard Davin Crosby is out with a foot injury.
North Carolina is 27-6 as a favorite this season with Alabama 1-7 as the underdog.
Alabama has covered in just three of the eight games played on a neutral court this season. Six of those games landed over the total.
The Tar Heels are 7-4 in neutral-site games with nine of those matchups going over the total.
The total has gone over in five of North Carolina’s last six games with 11 of the last 13 games for Alabama finishing over the total. The total is set at 173.5 in this matchup and that is an indication that the pace could be to Alabama’s liking.
Alabama is ranked fourth nationally in offensive efficiency with North Carolina sixth in defensive efficiency according to the Pomeroy college basketball ratings. The difference could be Alabama’s No. 101-ranked defense trying to slow down North Carolina with an offensive efficiency in the top 20.
For NCAAB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.