2014 NCAA Tournament East Region: (6) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (3) Iowa State Cyclones

(6) North Carolina vs. (3) Iowa State
Time: 5:15 PM ET, Mar 23, 2014
TV: CBS
Spread: IOW -2
Total: 159

Betting odds courtesy of Bovada

Iowa State won its second round match up against NC Central 93-75 and will face North Carolina in third round action Sunday night. North Carolina defeated Providence 79-77 to advance to the round of 32. College basketball odds showed Iowa State as 2 point favorites in NCAA Tournament third round action.

Iowa State’s entire starting five scored in double-figures in the win over NC Central. Forward Georges Niang led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assist per game this season for the Cyclones.

Melvin Ejim is the leading scorer and rebounder at 18.1 and 8.5, respectively, and the 6’8″ senior forward shot 51 percent from the field this season. He’s hit 30-of-58 from the floor over his past five games, and he had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the 91-85 victory over Kansas State on Mar 13.

The Tar Heels got big games from Marcus Paige and James Michael McAdoo in its opening win over Providence. McAdoo had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Paige had 19 points and four assists, as the Tar Heels squeaked by despite shooting just 26 percent (4-of-15) from three-point range. Brice Johnson hit 7-of-11 to score 16 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and it was enough to overcome a huge game from Central’s Bryce Cotton, who led all scorers with 36 points.

Paige and McAdoo led the Tar Heels in scoring at 17.5 points and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Many expected more from McAdoo, but he still has the size and athleticism necessary to be a top flight power forward when he is playing at his best. He shot 46.2 percent from the floor this season and the Tar Heels need him to be aggressive offensively and pursue his offense. In the loss to then-No. 4 Duke on Mar 8, McAdoo had 0 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. If he disappears similarly, UNC may not even be close. But he’s averaged 8.5 rebounds over the two games since that contest.