The North Carolina Tar Heels are 8-0 straight up and 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games. One of those eight wins came against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who the Tar Heels square off against this Sunday.
North Carolina is the biggest favorite on the board in the Elite Eight, going off as 10-point betting chalk on Sunday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Tar Heels are just 6-12-1 ATS as a double-digit favorite this season, but they won all 19 of those games outright.
The Tar Heels' run through the ACC Tournament was extremely impressive, capped off with a 61-57 win over Virginia in the championship game. But the team's performance in the NCAA Tournament might be even more impressive thus far, with a 19-point win over a solid No. 9 Providence team and a 15-point win against a legitimate contender in No. 5 Indiana in the Sweet 16.
With the Kansas Jayhawks now eliminated, North Carolina looks to be the most complete team remaining in the field.
Notre Dame is 3-1 SU and ATS in its last four games against the Tar Heels per the OddsShark College Basketball Database. That one Fighting Irish loss came in the last game between these two teams, however, in a 78-47 North Carolina blowout.
The Fighting Irish have been battle-tested in March Madness play so far, and that experience should help them in facing this Sunday's tall task of upsetting North Carolina.
Notre Dame beat No. 11 Michigan in a tough first round matchup, topped No. 14 Stephen F. Austin with a go-ahead tip-in at the buzzer, and came back from down three with under 30 seconds left against No. 7 Wisconsin. If the Fighting Irish can keep this game close, they should have plenty of confidence in the closing moments.
Sunday's total is set at 154.5 points. The UNDER is 5-1 in the last six games between these two teams.
Notre Dame and North Carolina haven't been ACC rivals for long, but this tournament game will be sure to bring this rivalry to the next level. The Fighting Irish are 8-5 SU and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog, and are hoping to shock the nation with another upset on Sunday.