A spot in the Elite Eight will be on the line on Thursday when the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Alabama Crimson Tide square off in a Sweet 16 matchup of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles. The top-seeded Tar Heels (29-7) are making their 31st appearance in the Sweet 16, which is the most of any program. Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (23-11) are in the Sweet 16 for the 10th time in school history.

Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena is set for 9:39 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are favored by 4.5 points in the latest North Carolina vs. Alabama odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 173.5.

Before making any Alabama vs. North Carolina picks, or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from SportsLine expert Thomas Casale. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale started playing football sheets at 8 years old when his dad was the local bookie. He's been betting -- and winning -- for more than 30 years. Over the last three college basketball seasons (through Jan. 31, 2024), Thomas is 305-179-7 (63%). He also is on a 22-4-1 roll with his last 27 against-the-spread picks, for a profit of $1,743 for $100 bettors. Anyone who has consistently followed him is way up.

Casale knows that North Carolina has one of the best players in the country in RJ Davis. The senior guard from White Plains, N.Y., is averaging 21.3 points per game, which ranks 13th in the country while also shooting 41.1% on 3-pointers. For his efforts this season he was named the ACC Player of the Year and has received first-team all-America honors from the Associated Press and the Sporting News.

Casale also has taken into account that Alabama has arguably the most prolific offense in the country. The Crimson Tide lead the nation in scoring (90.7 points per game) and, according to Ken Pomeroy's adjusted offensive efficiency metric, score 125.1 points per 100 possessions, which ranks fourth in the Div. I. In its first round victory over Charleston, Alabama racked up a tournament-best 109 points. 

Now, Casale has set his sights on North Carolina vs. Alabama. We can tell you he is leaning Over the total, and he also has discovered a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You ABSOLUTELY need to see Casale's analysis before locking in any college basketball picks.

So who wins Alabama vs. North Carolina, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Join SportsLine right now to find out which picks you should be all over for the NCAA Tournament matchup, all from the expert who is 305-179-7 over the last three college basketball seasons.