The SEC sent 8 teams to the NCAA Tournament this postseason. Only 2 are left standing, and they hit the court on Thursday and Friday in the Sweet 16.

Alabama and Tennessee both qualified for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament thanks to resounding first-round wins and gut-it-out second-round victories. The Crimson Tide are an underdog in their matchup with the top seed in the West Region — North Carolina. The Volunteers are a narrow betting favorite in their Midwest regional semifinal game against Creighton.

Here’s a betting preview for both Sweet 16 contests:

(Note: All lines are via ESPN BET unless otherwise noted; all times Eastern)

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1 North Carolina vs. 4 Alabama | Thursday, March 28 | 9:39 p.m. | CBS | Los Angeles, California

Spread: North Carolina -4.5

Total: 173.5

Alabama (23-11) has made its third Sweet 16 appearance in the last 4 years under coach Nate Oats. Both of the Crimson Tides’ previous appearances ended in defeat; a win over Carolina would give Alabama its first Elite Eight appearance since the 2003-04 season. The program has never made a Final Four, and yet it stands just 2 wins away from one. On the other side, Alabama faces a North Carolina (29-7) program that has made 21 appearances in the Final Four. Alabama beat 13-seed Charleston in the first round and then 12-seed Grand Canyon in the second round. North Carolina dispatched 16-seed Wagner and then 9-seed Michigan State. Read a full preview of the game here.

2 Tennessee vs. 3 Creighton | Friday, March 29 | 10:09 p.m. | TBS/truTV | Detroit, Michigan

Spread: Tennessee -2.5

Total: 143.5

The Volunteers (26-8) are back in the Sweet 16 for the third time under coach Rick Barnes. Like Alabama, they have yet to advance beyond the round. They face a Creighton (25-9) team that has never made a Final Four and didn’t make an Elite Eight appearance until last season. The Vols beat 15-seed Saint Peter’s in the first round and then escaped 7-seed Texas in the second round. Creighton beat 14-seed Akron and then outlasted 11-seed Oregon in double-overtime to advance past the second round.

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3 picks

Alabama G Mark Sears to score 25+ points (+164 via FanDuel)

It doesn’t feel like there’s a scoring total for this game that can be set high enough for Sears. Even when things slowed down and the points were tough to come by, he still managed 26 against Grand Canyon. Sears took 11 triples against the Lopes, and he scored 30 points with 11 free throws in the first-round win over Charleston. The volume is going to be there.

Alabama +4.5 / Over 173.5 (+260 via DraftKings)

Since Feb. 3, North Carolina has played 2 games against a team with a top-20 offense according to KenPom. Both games were against Duke, and though North Carolina won both, the Heels also gave up 1.148 points per possession across the 2 games. They have not faced a team that plays at the kind of pace Alabama plays at since an 87-83 loss to Kentucky last December. EvanMiya is projecting just under 78 possessions in this game, which would put this game in the high 80s/low 90s if both teams play to their season averages. Alabama’s 3-point shooting has been shaky lately, but this is still one of the most explosive offenses in college basketball and Alabama has every reason to want to turn this game into a track meet.

Creighton G Baylor Scheierman over 30.5 points + rebounds + assists (-111 via FanDuel)

Scheierman’s last 6 games:

  • 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Seton Hall
  • 26 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists vs. Marquette
  • 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Villanova
  • 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Providence
  • 15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists vs. Akron
  • 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Oregon

Scheierman has played at least 38 minutes in 4 of the 6 outings. Creighton’s rotation is basically 5 starters and 1 man off the bench at this point, and the Jays are going to need their everything man to continue doing everything.