Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
UNLV forward Quintrell Thomas guards North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo during their game Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. North Carolina won the game 79-73.
Monday, Feb. 17, 2014 | 7:45 a.m.
2014 NCAA Tournament
- Which top-ranked team would you bet to win the national championship?
- Florida 9-to-2 — 36.0%
- Wichita State 12-to-1 — 16.3%
- Syracuse 8-to-1 — 15.1%
- Arizona 12-to-1 — 15.1%
- Duke 8-to-1 — 10.5%
- San Diego State 60-to-1 — 7.0%
This poll is closed, see Full Results »
Note: This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.
Related Coverage
Here’s the latest installment of the Play of the Day, which uses odds from the South Point..
Our three sports writers started with a $10,000 bankroll — fictional, of course.
North Carolina pick-em at Florida State: $440 to win $400 : This number immediately jumped off the page as being odd. I actually thought there was a misprint. How could North Carolina, a team loaded with talented players and on a six-game winning streak, be just a pick-em at 10-loss Florida State? It seems too good to be true, actually.
With a 17-7 record, North Carolina has definitely struggled for parts of the season — it lost at home to Belmont and UAB and had a three-game losing streak in early-to-mid January. But the Tar Heels have won seven of their last eight games, including six by more than double-digits.
Marcus Paige will be a matchup nightmare in the backcourt for Florida State, averaging nearly 20 points per game. On the inside, James Michael McAdoo averages 15.3 points and seven rebounds per game, giving North Carolina another big-time edge against a Florida State team I suspect will be overmatched at every position on the court.
Despite losing five of its last seven, Florida State is expected to keep the score close because the game is being played on its home court. Aaron Thomas never comes off the court for Florida State and can take over the game with his outside shooting. He is making 44 percent of his 3-pointers this year, including drilling 6 of 8 on Feb. 5 against Virginia Tech.
Standings: Bern (10-6, $10,720), Keefer (4-7, $8,517.50), Brewer (4-8-2, $7,610)
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
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