The SEC has three of the six teams left in the tournament, with perennial power Kentucky as the mainstay. That's what was expected from the ACC, which has only North Carolina left. This North Carolina team may not have as high a ceiling as last year's team but it has bought in defensively. The Tar Heels will show their improvement from allowing 103 points earlier this season in a loss to Kentucky. Grab North Carolina.

Kentucky is on a 14-game win streak and playing its absolute best of the season, not only with a drastically improved defense, but also with an offense the players are very comfortable with. The offense now plays each possession with a sense of purpose. Every player knows his role. It's no longer a lot of one-in-one and just outrunning everyone like early in the season. North Carolina is the deserving favorite as the top-rated team, but I like what I've seen out of Kentucky lately, and I'm taking the Wildcats to win just like they did in December when these teams met.

Both teams love to run and have plenty of offensive weapons. My total, after looking at comparable games, is 168. Go Over.

The Wildcats had no trouble scoring on the Tar Heels in mid-December, rolling up 100 points. Yet they lost by three, mainly because of a height disparity. By its normal standards, Kentucky is puny, and lone post player Bam Adebayo managed two points Friday. UNC’s human trees should contain him. On the other end, points should come in bunches by the bigs. The Heels have outrebounded tourney foes by an aggregate 47 -- yes, 47 -- and a David/Goliath matchup on the boards loom large.