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The Marquette Golden Eagles (19-12) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (24-9) face off in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon. UNC, the No. 8 seed, fell to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Marquette, the No. 9 seed, lost to Creighton in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.

Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m. ET from Fort Worth, Texas. The Tar Heels are favored by 3.5 points in the latest Marquette vs. North Carolina odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under is 153. Before making any North Carolina vs. Marquette picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on UNC vs. Marquette and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Marquette vs. UNC:

  • North Carolina vs. Marquette spread: Tar Heels -3.5
  • North Carolina vs. Marquette over-under: 153 points
  • North Carolina vs. Marquette money line: Golden Eagles +145, Tar Heels -170
  • UNC: Tar Heels are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss
  • MARQ: Golden Eagles are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog

Why North Carolina can cover

Junior forward Armando Bacot has been terrific all season long for North Carolina. He was one of the top players in the ACC. Bacot ranked seven in scoring (16.5), first in rebounds (12.5), second in field-goal percentage (.598) and fifth in blocks (1.7). The Virginia native has been a double-double machine and was ranked third in the nation (25). In his last outing, Bacot logged 19 points, 14 rebounds and shot 9-for-10 from the floor.

Sophomore guard RJ Davis averages 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Davis is a reliable option from the perimeter, knocking down 38 percent of his attempts from 3-point land. The New York native scored at least 15 points in 15 matchups. On Mar. 5 against Duke, Davis dropped 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

Why Marquette can cover

Redshirt freshman forward Justin Lewis has been a steady contributor for the Golden Eagles. Lewis finished the year as one of the best players in the Big East. The Maryland native ranked third in scoring (17.1) and fourth in rebounding (7.9). Lewis has recorded six double-doubles on the year. On March 2 against DePaul, he dropped 26 points, 10 rebounds and went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Grad student guard Darryl Morsell averages 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Morsell is also knocking down 35 percent of his attempts from downtown. The Maryland native has seven games with at least 20 points. On March 5 against St. John's, Morsell finished with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. 

How to make Marquette vs. North Carolina picks

SportsLine's model is leaning under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 147 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins UNC vs. Marquette? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.