The North Carolina Tar Heels face off against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Tar Heels finished the season with a 23-13 record and picked up a big win in the First Four to advance to the first round. The Rebels finished off the regular season with a 22-11 record. They are currently 1.5 point dogs with this North Carolina vs. Ole Miss matchup set to tip off at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
North Carolina Tar Heels (-1.5) at Ole Miss Rebels (+1.5) o/u 155.5
4:05 p.m. ET, Friday, March 21, 2025
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
TV: TNT
Public Betting: Public Bettors Leaning Tar Heels
As of this writing, our CBB Public Betting page shows that 58% of bets are on North Carolina. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels found a way into the tournament and won their first game 95-68 over San Diego State in the First Four on Tuesday night. RJ Davis led the team with 26 points. He made 8 of his 12 attempts from the field and was a perfect 6 of 6 from 3 point land. Seth Trimble added 16 points off of the bench. UNC finished 52.6% from the field and 58.3% from three. UNC has won their last 9 games against teams not named Duke.
Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels edged out Arkansas 83-80 in the 2nd round of the SEC tournament before losing 62-57 to Auburn in the next round. Ole Miss had a balanced attack in that matchup with 4 different players hitting double digits. Unfortunately for them they couldn’t hit 3 pointers, making just 4 of their 23 attempts. Their leading scorer in Sean Pedulla was 0-5 from behind the arc. On the bright side, the Rebels won the turnover battle, forcing 15 to their 10.
North Carolina vs. Ole Miss Betting Trends
North Carolina is 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games
The UNDER is 4-1 in North Carolina’s last 5 games
Ole Miss is 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games
The OVER is 5-1 in Ole Miss’ last 6 games
North Carolina vs. Ole Miss Prediction:
I’m riding the hot hand with North Carolina in this matchup. A lot has been made about UNC’s record against Quad 1 teams but when you look at who they lost to, Duke 3 times, Auburn, and Florida (all 1 seeds), and Michigan State and Alabama (both 2 seeds). They closed the season strong with 9 wins and 2 losses, both of which were against Duke, and they dominated their opening game on Tuesday night. Now all of a sudden Ole Miss, who hasn’t played a game in a week, has to face one of the hottest teams in the tournament. UNC enters this matchup with a 9-1 ATS record in their last 10 games. The Rebels are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games and have lost 5 of their last 8 games.
North Carolina vs. Ole Miss Prediction: North Carolina -1.5