Ricky Dimon
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It’s March, which means it’s the best time of year for college basketball – March Madness. It also means that online sports betting has been legalized in North Carolina, with a full launch at every major sportsbook on March 11.
Although football season may be over, there are plenty of options with which to begin your betting experience in North Carolina. The Duke Blue Devils are out of the ACC Tournament, but the North Carolina Tar Heels and the North Carolina State Wolfpack are through to the championship game on Saturday night. In the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets are mercifully nearing the end of their season and they will visit the Philadelphia 76ers. The Carolina Hurricanes are also part of today’s NHL schedule.
Let’s take a look at my 3-team North Carolina-based parlay
If you want to get in the game now and wager on any North Carolina-based team (or on any other available markets), here are some of the best sportsbooks at which to do so – and their accompanying NC launch offers:
- FanDuel Sportsbook: Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets
- DraftKings Sportsbook: Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets
- BetMGM Sportsbook: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets
- Caesars Sportsbook: Bet $10, Get $250 in Bonus Bets with promo code PICKSWISENC
- Bet365 Sportsbook: Bet $5 and Get $150 in Bonus Bets OR $1,000 Back If Your First Bet Loses
Now let’s dive into my NC parlay for Saturday’s sports slate.
North Carolina -9 over N.C. State (-110)
Maple Leafs ML over Hurricanes (-110)
Hornets +10.5 over 76ers (-112)
Parlay odds: +590
North Carolina Tar Heels -9 over N.C. State Wolfpack (-110)
N.C. State has done extremely well to reach the final of the ACC Tournament. Its run includes a quarterfinal upset of Duke and miracle comeback that resulted in an overtime win against Virginia on Friday night. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, that’s where the good news ends. They will now play for the fifth time in 5 days, whereas North Carolina is playing just its third game in the district after earning a double-bye as the conference’s #1 seed. UNC is a far superior team even when all things are equal; and in this case all things aren’t equal. The Tar Heels should absolutely roll over their in-state rival to secure the ACC crown.
Toronto Maple Leafs ML over Carolina Hurricanes (-110)
This could be the best game of the day in the NHL between 2 teams that are heading for the playoffs. It’s no surprise that both clubs are priced at -110 on the money line. In what is pretty much a toss-up, I have to side with Toronto playing at home. The Maple Leafs have won 2 in a row and 12 of their last 15 games overall. This high-powered offense lit the lamp 6 times in a rout of Philadelphia on Thursday, with Auston Matthews’ notching his 55th goal of the 2023-24 campaign. The Hurricanes are also playing well, but this marks the start of a 3-game road trip for them and I think that gives the Leafs a slight edge in terms of intangibles.
Charlotte Hornets +10.5 over Philadelphia 76ers (-112)
The Hornets will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back situation when they visit the 76ers on Saturday. They got completely blown out by Phoenix on Friday in a game that was for all intents and purposes was over before the fourth quarter began. None of that is good news for Charlotte. However, Friday’s laugher may actually be a blessing in disguise for the visitors’ prospects today. It’s not like they used up much energy at all against the Suns. As such, the Hornets should be fine from a physical standpoint. Now they face a Philadelphia squad that has been a complete disaster without Joel Embiid. I can’t see Charlotte losing by more than 10 points to an undermanned, underwhelming opponent.
