Day 6 Ball Bets: North Carolina eases into Elite Eight

The first night of the Sweet 16 saw three games decided in the final minutes, with two underdogs scoring outright wins thanks to Oregon and Xavier.

The rest of the Sweet 16 goes on Friday night, with four big-time matchups to determine the other half of the Elite Eight.

Here's the best three bets on the board.

Best bets

(4) Butler vs. (1) North Carolina -7

North Carolina is the best rebounding team in the nation, ripping down an average of 43.6 per contest, while Butler's 32.2 ranks a dismal 313th. With that large of a discrepancy, the Bulldogs better hit a ton of shots to keep up with the Tar Heels on Friday night. Lucky for Butler, they hit 47.9 percent of their shots this season, but North Carolina came in right behind at 46.7 percent. The Tar Heels survived a scare against Arkansas in the Round of 32, but they won't be fooled by the Bulldogs. North Carolina 82, Butler 70

(3) UCLA vs. (2) Kentucky +1

UCLA had one of the biggest wins of the season in December when they stormed into Rupp Arena and downed Kentucky 97-92. The rematch goes Saturday night, and should be the best game of the Sweet 16. TJ Leaf killed Kentucky with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the first contest, so look for John Calipari to make some adjustments at the defensive end to limit his impact. Lonzo Ball versus De'Aaron Fox will be the highlight matchup, but Malik Monk will have a big game and be the difference in a Wildcats victory. Kentucky 89, UCLA 85

(8) Wisconsin vs. (4) Florida -1.5

Florida holding Virginia to just 39 points was the most impressive performance in the Round of 32, and the Gators will look to quiet Wisconsin's star seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes to hit the Elite Eight. The Gators easily made it through the first two rounds despite leading scorer KeVaughn Allen making just 3-of-21 shots in those two games. Devin Robinson has picked up the slack, averaging 19 points in the first two games, and if Allen can get going as well, the Gators should be heading to the Elite Eight. Florida 70, Wisconsin 65

Season Record

Best bets: 32-20-1
Home dog: 3-9
Full-day parlay: 6-8
Twitter picks: 7-2
Overall spread record: 71-44-2

(Lines courtesy: Covers)
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)