The Final Betting Odds: Ole Miss Basketball vs. North Carolina Tar Heels in Round One

The Rebels will square off against the Tar Heels on Friday afternoon, begin quest at a National Championship.

Mississippi forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) looks for an opening past Auburn forward Chaney Johnson (31) during the second half of a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 14, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 6 seeded Ole Miss Rebels are set to take on No. 11 North Carolina on Friday afternoon in Milwaukee (Wisc.) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

This marks the 10th NCAA Tournament berth for the Ole Miss program, and the highest seed they've earned since 2001 when the Rebels were a three seed in the big dance.

Among their victories during the regular season, Ole Miss picked up wins over fellow tournament teams Colorado State (No. 12 seed), BYU (No. 6 seed), Louisville (No. 8 seed), Georgia (No. 9 seed), Arkansas (No. 10 seed), Alabama (No. 2 seed), Texas (No. 11 seed), Kentucky (No. 3 seed), Oklahoma (No. 9 seed), and Tennessee (No. 2 seed).

Now, Chris Beard and Co. will look to earn a First Round victory over North Carolina where the Rebels' shot-caller has had tremendous success in Round 1.

In five total appearances at the big dance, Beard has never lost a first-round game. He guided Texas Tech to the Elite Eight in 2018 and followed that up with a run to the National Championship game in 2019.

A look into how to watch the clash in Milwaukee, the model predictions and final betting lines.

How to Watch: Ole Miss Rebels vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

Start Time: 4:05 p.m. ET, March 21
Channel: TNT
Location: Milwaukee (Wisc.)

ESPN's Prediction: Ole Miss Rebels vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

ESPN Analytics Predictor: North Carolina
BPI Predicted Point Differential: 1.6
Ole Miss Win Probability: 43.7%
North Carolina Win Probability: 56.3%
BPI Matchup Quality: 87.0

What is the ESPN Basketball Power Index?

"The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is," according to ESPN.

"Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

The Current Betting Odds: Ole Miss vs. North Carolina

Spread:
- Ole Miss: (+1.5)
- North Carolina: (-1.5)

Moneyline:
- Ole Miss: (+105)
- North Carolina: (-125)

Over/Under: 155.5

The Ole Miss Rebels will enter the clash in Milwaukee as 1.5-point underdogs with Vegas favoring the Tar Heels following impressive victory over San Diego State.

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