Michigan State Spartans vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Prediction and Promo Codes for March 23

• Michigan State defeated Mississippi State in round one

• North Carolina defeated Wagner by 28 points in round one

• The Tar Heels are looking to get their first National Championship since 2017

The Michigan State Spartans will look to upset the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in the West Region. 

The Tar Heels shockingly fell short of an ACC Conference championship with a loss to North Carolina State, while Michigan State finished sixth in their respective conference. The winner of this matchup will advance to the Sweet Sixteen. 

In round one, UNC beat the 16th-seeded Wagner Seahawks 90-62 to advance. Michigan State took down #8 Mississippi State 69-51. Both performances were very impressive. 

Here, we will break down Michigan State vs. North Carolina and give our best bet for the action. 

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Michigan State vs. North Carolina Prediction and Odds 

Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State is a familiar face in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have signature wins in the NCAA Tournament, but they’ve also come up short consistently. 

The Spartans finished their season with a 20-14 record and had a 10-10 conference record. Michigan State has a tough road every year as it competes in the Big Ten. 

Michigan State capped off the season by winning just three of its last eight games, including two losses to Purdue. The Spartans were 2-6 against Top 25 opponents as well. 

However, Michigan State is a veteran team with tournament experience that can come in clutch toward the end of close games. Michigan State has the team to make a run in the tournament because of their defense. 

On offense, senior guard Tyson Walker has been the centerpiece. He leads the team in points per game with 18.2 while also averaging 2.9 assists and rebounds per game. 

The Spartans must bring the heat early and often and catch the star-studded Tar Heels off guard. However, Tom Izzo knows how to win and March, and he will have an excellent game plan to dethrone the Tar Heels. 

North Carolina Tar Heels

According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, North Carolina has a 63.3% chance to win. The spread favors UNC by 3.5 points, which has received much public attention. 

The Tar Heels finished their incredible season with a 28-7 record. North Carolina is also one of the favorites to win the National Championship. 

UNC made light work of #16 seed Wagner, defeating them by 39 points. It’s hard to lose a basketball game when you put up 50 points in the second half alone. 

North Carolina has the 20th-best scoring offense, thanks to their efficiency from the field. The Tar Heels were 26.5-point favorites against Wagner and covered that with ease. 

Star senior RJ Davis has led UNC's scoring, but he struggles with consistency. Davis must remain calm and focus on the task at hand because the Spartans can be a very sneaky, come-from-behind team. 

Michigan State vs. North Carolina Pick

• PICK: UNC -3.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook 

North Carolina is one of the best teams in the NCAA Tournament. While they have a difficult road to the finals, they are one of the top teams in March Madness. 

The Tar Heels are still a much more well-rounded team than the Spartans. As long as UNC doesn’t get lazy, they should easily cover the spread at 3.5. 

How to Watch Michigan State vs. North Carolina

• When: Saturday, March 23rd @ 5:30 PM ET

• Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina 

• TV: CBS

• Streaming: March Madness App