The North Carolina Tar Heels begin their quest to win another national championship when they face the Wagner Seahawks in a first round game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. This season, North Carolina (27-7), which won the ACC regular season title, is the No. 1 seed in the West region. Meanwhile, Wagner (17-15) advanced to the first round by virtue of its 71-68 First Four victory over Howard on Tuesday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are favored by 25.5 points in the latest North Carolina vs. Wagner odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 133.5. 

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

The model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model 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 21.4 points per game, which ranks 11th in the country and fifth among players in the NCAA Tournament, while also shooting 40.6% 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.

But the model also has taken into account that Wagner has been playing excellent defense all season. The Seahawks allow just 62.3 points per game, which ranks seventh in the country. They also give up just 29.5% shooting on 3-pointers, which is eighth in the nation.

For Thursday, the model has set its sights on North Carolina vs. Wagner. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in more than 50% of simulations. You ABSOLUTELY need to see the model before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Wagner vs. North Carolina, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the North Carolina vs. Wagner spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!