Syracuse vs. North Carolina

Syracuse is a tough team to face under Jim Boheim with its zone and pressure defense. The Syracuse pressure defense rattled an experienced and favored Virginia squad and has been dominant this whole tourney. Syracuse ranked tops in the ACC in steals (8.1 per game) and that defense has propelled them to an unexpected Final Four as a #10 seed. They shut down a strong Gonzaga offense, a 62-60 win as a +4 dog, going UNDER the total of 129.5, before upsetting Virginia (68-62) with a monster second half defensive effort. They know what to expect against North Carolina, as this is the third meeting between the schools this year. Full-court pressure propelled the Orange in upsets against Gonzaga and Virginia, and the signature 2-3 zone has never looked better. North Carolina is the worst three-pointing shooting team in the ACC, so look for Syracuse to focus more on packing the paint and double-teaming the Tar Heels' big men. But don't forget about the North Carolina defense, which finished second in the ACC in field goal shooting allowed (41%). These teams just met four weeks ago with North Carolina winning 75-70, going UNDER the total as both teams shot 41%. Syracuse was just 5 of 20 from three-point range. North Carolina is 13-5 UNDER the total against the ACC and this shapes up as an all-out defensive war with so much at stake. Take this one to finish UNDER the total.