North Carolina and VCU meet in opening round of NCAA Tournament

VCU Rams (27-7, 18-3 A-10) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (24-8, 12-7 ACC)

Greenville, South Carolina; Thursday, 6:50 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -2.5; over/under is 151.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 21 North Carolina plays in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against VCU.

The Tar Heels are 12-7 against ACC opponents and 12-1 in non-conference play. North Carolina is third in the ACC with 25.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Caleb Wilson averaging 6.6.

The Rams' record in A-10 action is 18-3. VCU averages 81.6 points and has outscored opponents by 10.1 points per game.

North Carolina averages 8.6 made 3-pointers per game, 1.8 more made shots than the 6.8 per game VCU gives up. VCU averages 9.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.3 more made shots on average than the 8.0 per game North Carolina gives up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Luka Bogavac averages 1.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Tar Heels, scoring 9.8 points while shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc. Wilson is averaging 19.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games.

Terrence Hill Jr. is averaging 14.4 points for the Rams. Nyk Lewis is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Tar Heels: 6-4, averaging 72.4 points, 30.2 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.9 points per game.

Rams: 9-1, averaging 75.7 points, 33.4 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.