North Carolina vs. USC: Super Regional Odds & Preview

After staggering early losses from No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Georgia Tech, North Carolina is officially the College World Series title favorite in BetMGM’s college baseball odds market. I wrote about that market shift earlier this week.

But before the Heels can fly to Omaha and compete for a national championship, they’ll need to dispatch USC – the upset winners of last week’s College Station regional.

The Trojans can reach their first CWS in 25 years – and knock out the last remaining ACC team – with a victory at this weekend’s Chapel Hill Super Regional.

North Carolina vs. USC: Super Regional Game 1 Odds

• Point Spread: North Carolina -1.5 (+110)
• Moneyline: UNC -175  |  USC +135
• Over/Under: 8.5

North Carolina vs. USC: Super Regional Preview

If you like pitching, this is the weekend matchup for you. Friday’s Game 1 features a noticeably lower total than the other games of the day because USC vs. North Carolina expects to be a series of low-scoring pitchers’ duels. 

USC’s pitching rotation includes Mason Edwards, who won Big Ten Pitcher of the Year with a 1.85 ERA and 164 punchouts. There’s also Grant Govel, who led the Big Ten in wins. The bullpen has a lot of options, which could help USC outlast the Heels in a series that goes ultra low-scoring.

North Carolina has the better overall team, a better offense, and a much more experienced team that’s familiar with playing in Super Regionals and high-stakes games. The Heels are also playing some of their best baseball of the season right now, entering this week on a 12-2 run.

USC’s short price in the series market nods at the fact that very low-scoring games could actually play in their favor because of the bullpen strength. I won’t stake a series position, but I do like the Under 8.5 in Game 1. 

Prediction: Game 1 Under 8.5; Lean Tar Heels -175 for the Series