Score Predictions for No. 6 West Virginia at No. 3 North Carolina

We make our predictions for the Mountaineers' second round matchup against the Tarheels

West Virginia University forward Kyah Watson / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

The sixth seed West Virginia Mountaineers (25-7) meet the No. 3 seed North Carolina Tarheels in the second round of the NCAA tournament Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and the action will broadcast on ESPN2.

Schuyler Callihan: North Carolina 72, West Virginia 70

West Virginia University guard JJ Quinerly / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

This has the makings of a great game that will have a lot of trading punches from start to finish. Although the Mountaineers have had a great season and are certainly capable of making some more noise, I think the run ends here in Chapel Hill. Playing against the host is never easy and the deeper things get in the second half, the more it will feel like a road game.

This season, West Virginia is 5-5 when playing in true road games. If this was on a neutral court, I'd probably give a small lean to WVU. JJ Quinerly and Sydney Shaw do their thing on the offensive end, but I believe Carolina has enough in its backcourt to withstand West Virginia's pressure.

Tar Heels in a nail-biter.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 73, North Carolina 71

West Virginia guard Sydney Shaw blocks the layup of Kansas guard Sania Copeland. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia has felt the disrespect since receiving a six seed and it showed against Columbia in the first round Saturday afternoon.

JJ Quinerly produced 27 points, seven steals, seven assists, and four rebounds while Jordan Harrison registered 23 points and six assists.

The Mountaineers produced 48 points off 25 forced turnovers, and there lies in the success of WVU.

North Carolina has not seen a defense like West Virginia, although the media surrounding the area is desperately trying to compare them to Duke, this is where the game will be won, if the officials let them play.

Yes, officiating. I wouldn’t bring the subject up, but we all witnessed what happened in Iowa City last year that caught the attention of everybody following Caitlin Clark, and its clear North Carolina has the national brand officials seem to favor.

Having said that, West Virginia will need to be consistent on offense. They have, at times, had major scoring droughts on the road, and playing on the home floor against a good Tarheel team does spell trouble, especially after Lexi Donarski hit five threes in the third quarter to pull away against Oregon State in the opening round.

Jordan Harrison was 9-12 from the field on Saturday and they will need her offensive prowess against UNC, while Quinerly sets the tone. The Mountaineers will also need big buckets from Sydney Shaw, which she has provided all season.

My gut tells me UNC wins, but this group of Mountaineers has yet to capture a program defining win and they most certainly have the talent to continue to etch their names in the history books and win two consecutive tournament games.

I believe this group has the moxie to pull off the upset and advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history and the first since the field expanded to 64-plus teams.

West Virginia grinds out the win 73-71.

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