The late afternoon games would appear to give you some breathing time after those contests that end by 5 to go get some dinner and get ready for the night session. North Carolina and Missouri should both win comfortably, but it’s March, so be on call.

#1 North Carolina vs. #16 Vermont, 4:10 in Greensboro (TBS). North Carolina will try to push tempo. Vermont’s hope is that North Carolina is not a great outside shooting team, and they are cold. Vermont has height on the front line, but not the athletes to run with the Tar Heels.

The Line: UNC by 14.5. The Pick: North Carolina -14.5

 

#2 Missouri vs. #15 Norfolk State, 4:40 in Omaha (TNT). It’s rare that a 15 seed has a height advantage, but that’s the case here. That is all Norfolk State has going for them. They probably should have been a 16, and that’s reflected in the line, which is higher than most of the 1/16 matchups. Missouri will run their 3 guard + Kim English offense, and pick and roll Norfolk, find shooters, and they probably haven’t seen on the ball defense like Flip Pressey will provide.

The Line: Missouri by 21.5. The Pick: How early does Missouri put in the end of bench guys? I still like Missouri -21.5.

[US Presswire]