With the play-in games now completed for the NCAA Tournament, one of the Round of 64 matchups on Thursday features the No. 11 VCU Rams (27-7) and No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels (24-8). Tip-off for this showdown in the South region is at 6:50 p.m. ET, live on TNT.
Ahead of Thursday’s action, North Carolina is a slight 2.5-point favorite on the spread, per PrizePicks Team Picks. Will VCU be one of the Cinderella teams that pulls off an upset?
Below, we’ll break down our VCU vs. North Carolina prediction and picks for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament contest. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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VCU vs. North Carolina Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The Rams are entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament scorching hot, winning 16 of their last 17 games. VCU’s latest victory was a 70-62 outcome against the Dayton Flyers in the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship on March 15, and they’re 9-1 outright over the last 10 games.
The absence of freshman F Caleb Wilson (19.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG) continues to loom large for North Carolina, who have lost their last two contests.
Despite that being the case, the Tar Heels are 6-4 outright and 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in the last 10 outings and were on a four-game winning streak before losing consecutive bouts.
VCU vs. North Carolina Spread, Over/Under
North Carolina is favored by 2.5 points, returning a 1.66x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
VCU are slight underdogs with a 2.22x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: North Carolina -2.5 (1.92x payout)
- Over/Under: 151.5 (1.88x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: VCU 2.22x | North Carolina 1.66x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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VCU vs. North Carolina Prediction on Spread – 3/19/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your VCU vs. North Carolina prediction on the spread for the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19, on PrizePicks.
- VCU is 1-2 ATS against ranked opponents, and North Carolina ended the regular season as the No. 21 team in the AP top 25 poll.
- Furthermore, the Rams were 0-3 outright when facing ranked foes, losing to NC State, Vanderbilt, and Saint Louis.
- Even with Wilson sidelined since February 10 for the Tar Heels, they're 6-2 ATS in the eight games during his absence.
- North Carolina has the edge on offense and defense in Bart Torvik’s rankings, sitting at 33rd in adjusted offensive efficiency (121.3) and 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency (99.9).
- The Rams are 49th in adjusted offensive efficiency (119.2) and 69th in adjusted defensive efficiency (103.0).
- While VCU is a bit dependent on getting to the charity stripe with the 15th-highest free throw rate (43.7%), North Carolina is disciplined with the third-lowest free throw rate allowed (23.8%).
🔥 Get College Basketball Predictions and Picks from the experts for the NCAA Tournament
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Make VCU vs. North Carolina Picks on PrizePicks
VCU is beginning the tourney in impressive form after reigning supreme in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. With that being said, they’ll have their work cut out for them to upset a Wilson-less North Carolina squad in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.
You can make your VCU vs. North Carolina picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct.
Over on Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued college basketball predictions, picks, and news through the NCAA Tournament.
