Lipscomb Bison vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

The defending national champion and second-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (25-10) will begin their run at back-to-back titles against the 15th-seeded Lipscomb Bison (23-9) as huge favorites for Friday's round of 64 matchup in the West Region. The 10th-ranked Tar Heels have won 11 of their last 12 NCAA tournament games, going 7-4-1 against the spread during that stretch.

March Madness point spread: The Tar Heels opened as 17-point favorites; the total is at 161, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 77.9-69.4, Bison (March Madness picks on every game)

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Why Lipscomb can cover the spread

The Bison are riding an eight-game winning streak into the Big Dance, making their first-ever appearance after winning the Atlantic Sun tournament. They upset the top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 108-96 as 6.5-point underdogs in the championship game following routs of the Stetson Hatters and Jacksonville Dolphins as double-digit favorites, covering the spread in both of those games as well.

Lipscomb's lone loss since January 18 came versus the NJIT Highlanders 81-77 on February 3.

Why North Carolina can cover the spread

North Carolina obviously has a huge edge in experience, appearing in the NCAA tournament for the eighth year in a row. The Tar Heels have advanced to the Sweet 16 each of the past three seasons and played for the national championship the last two years, topping the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71-65 for the title in 2017.

Led by senior guard Joel Berry II and junior forward Luke Maye, they are coming off a 71-63 loss to the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC tournament championship game. That setback ended a three-game winning streak for North Carolina both straight up and ATS.

Smart betting pick

The Tar Heels have gone 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS in their last nine games as favorites, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database. In addition, they are 56-4 SU in their previous 60 as double-digit favorites, so the chances of them losing this game are slim.

The Bison are a nice story, but they are no match for the defending national champs. Bet on North Carolina to flex its muscles here and blow out Lipscomb for an easy cover, advancing to the second round for the eighth straight year.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone under in four of North Carolina's last five games.

North Carolina is 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS in its last nine games as a favorite.

Lipscomb is 0-11 SU in its last 11 games as a double-digit underdog.

All college basketball odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.