Alabama Basketball is considered to be an underdog in its Sweet 16 matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Listening to pundits in the college basketball world, a win by UNC is a foregone conclusion.
Dive deeper into algorithmic projections for the game, and Alabama may lose to the Tar Heels, but in a tight game. ESPN's BPI has the Crimson Tide as a 52.3% favorite with a projected point differential of 0.6.
Warren Nolan has North Carolina winning by three points, 79-76. Ken Pomeroy projects close to the same result as Nolan. Based on these solid sources, the game can almost be considered a tossup.
One facet favoring Alabama is Nate Oats and his system of play. Nate Oats' Alabama offense can at times be a thing of beauty. Does that mean Alabama has a big advantage over UNC in Oats vs. Hubert Davis?
Ranking the Sweet 16 Coaches🕺 pic.twitter.com/nXKbhsbZjo
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 25, 2024
North Carolina fans would be right to quibble about the ranking for Hubert Davis. Davis is not a bad coach, but Alabama has an advantage in Nate Oats.