UNC betting odds: NC bettors back Tar Heels at March Madness

Grant Mitchell | For FrontPageBets

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North Carolina online sports betting went live on Monday, and BetMGM’s betting data shows that bettors are backing the UNC Tar Heels in the ACC Men’s Tournament and March Madness.

Here are the UNC March Madness odds and how it stacks up against the rest of the field moving into the most important time of the year for college basketball:

North Carolina Tar Heels March Madness odds

UNC finished the regular season with a record of 25-6 and won its ACC regular-season title by defeating No. 9 Duke in the final game of the season, 84-79.

The ACC named guard RJ Davis the Conference Player of the Year, while coach Hubert Davis won ACC Coach of the Year in just his third season in charge.

According to BetMGM, the Tar Heels (+1800) have the sixth-best odds to win March Madness. Only UConn, Houston, Purdue, Arizona and Tennessee are favored ahead of them.

UNC is expected to be a No. 2 seed in the official 64-team bracket, which will be unveiled on Selection Sunday. The latest edition of Joe Lunardi’s bracketology has UNC slated to open its tournament run against No. 15 Colgate in an East region also shared by UConn and Kentucky.

The Tar Heels played and lost to both of those teams earlier in the year by 9 and 4 points, respectively. Their best wins include two against Duke and one against Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Clemson.

The team also did a good job against ranked opponents, finishing 6-2 with an average scoring margin of +5.8 points. Their best win of the year, if not the regular-season finale against Duke, was a 100-92 win against Tennessee in which Davis, Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram combined for 69 points (all scored 20+).

UNC also went 8-2 on the road which, while it did not offer the most experience in hostile environments, showed they could win away from home — something they’ll have to do throughout the tournament.

BetMGM North Carolina betting: Public favors UNC in Tar Heel State

UNC was the most-bet team to win March Madness during the first 24 hours of online sports betting in North Carolina, according to BetMGM. The Tar Heels were responsible for a whopping 47.9% of bets, meaning that they are nearly one-to-one against the field in the public’s eye.

Behind UNC in March Madness futures bets were UConn at 9.5% and Houston at 8.1%.

Duke received 4.2% of bets, the seventh-highest amount. The Blue Devils are +2500 and have the ninth-best odds to win the NCAA Tournament at the time of writing.

UNC did not appear in March Madness or any other postseason tournament aside from the ACC Tournament last year. The team only went 20-13 (11-9) and ultimately declined an invitation to the NIT Tournament, which is an even greater testament to their turnaround this season.

BetMGM North Carolina bonus code PLAYSPORT offers $150 in bonus bets instantly for $5 wager

New customers can use our BetMGM bonus code PLAYSPORT to receive a $150 first-bet bonus, win or lose, after making a qualifying bet.

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Grant is a Virginia-based writer for Catena Media who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2021 with a degree in sports media & analytics. He has contributed to well-known publications such as Forbes, and appeared on the VSiN TV network. You can keep up with Grant's work here or by checking out his YouTube channel "The Sitch With Grant Mitchell.”