Marquette Golden Eagles @ North Carolina Tar Heels Sweet 16 Prediction

Marquette Golden Eagles @ North Carolina Tar Heels Sweet 16 Prediction: If the Marquette Golden Eagles aren’t the epitome of the Big East, I don’t know who is. The Eagles have beaten UConn, West Virginia, Xavier, and Syracuse over the last month – but they’ve also lost to Cincinnati and Seton Hall. Yes, 14-15 Seton Hall. The weird thing is how Marquette managed just an 11-seed. The Golden Eagles beat very good teams this season like UConn, West Virginia (twice), Syracuse and Notre Dame, plus had very close out of conference losses to Duke (77-82), Gonzaga (63-66), Wisconsin (64-69), and Vanderbilt (76-77). They didn’t win, but that’s one tough out of conference schedule, and pretty solid performances in each. Plus they ended the year with 20 wins before the Big Dance, in the Big East to boot – and they get an 11-seed – no wonder they are in the Sweet 16, playing with a chip on your shoulder like that can get you places.

Getting through two very good teams in Xavier (by 11) and Syracuse (by 4 points) was an impressive start to the tourney for the Eagles, but now they play Carolina, a team that finished the season as hot as anyone in the country, closing out with win after win to take the ACC regular season crown from the Blue Devils. A tough tournament in the ACC still got them to the finals, only to lose to the Blue Devils.

The Tar Heels didn’t play great basketball against the Huskies in the Round of 32, struggling with a team that matched their athleticism and moved up and down the court with the Tar Heels.

I don’t think Marquette will be able to match Carolina’s length, and that will eventually be the difference in this game. The Tar Heels will challenge too many shots at the rim, and Marquette will need a superior effort to stop the Tar Heels from beating them up on the glass. I like NC by 5.

(11) Marquette Golden Eagles @ (2) North Carolina Tar Heels (-4.5) (3/25) (CBS)