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. You can’t find a more intriguing state when it comes to college basketball, with the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils leading the way. Both of those bluebloods are taking the court in the ACC Tournament on Thursday and it’s the first chance North Carolina residents will have to bet on UNC, Duke and NC State. In the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup contenders and they are lacing up their skates for a date with the Florida Panthers.
Let’s take a look at my 3-team North Carolina-based parlay for Thursday, March 14, which pays at +547 odds with FanDuel Sportsbook.
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 Thursday’s sports schedule.
North Carolina -9.5 over Florida State (-120)
Duke -9.5 over NC State (-108)
Hurricanes ML over Panthers (-120)
NC parlay odds: +547
North Carolina Tar Heels -9.5 over Florida State Seminoles (-120)
North Carolina doesn’t always put maximum effort into the ACC Tournament, but after missing the Big Dance entirely last season I think this team wants to make a statement — both in the ACC festivities and in the NCAAs. The Tar Heels also have a chance to snag the fourth #1 seed if they can cut down the nets in Washington, D.C. They are rolling into the conference tournament, too, having recently taken down Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. UNC went 2-0 against Florida State during the regular season; both margins were single-digits, but neither was particularly competitive.
Read our full Florida State vs North Carolina predictions
Duke Blue Devils -9.5 over NC State Wolfpack (-108)
I also see Duke taking care of business by double-digits in its tournament opener. Somewhat unlike the Tar Heels, the Blue Devils often peak for the ACC Tournament (UNC by comparison has been more of a regular season and NCAA Tournament kind of program over the years). Head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad should be especially motivated since it just lost to the Heels for the second time last weekend. Joe Lunardi currently has the Devils on the #3 line in Bracketology; they would really like to move up to a #2 with a strong performance in Washington, D.C. In the regular-season matchup between these 2 teams earlier this month, Duke clobbered NC State 79-64 — and that was on the road.
Carolina Hurricanes ML over Florida Panthers (-120)
The Hurricanes are almost certain to finish no worse than #2 in the Metropolitan Division and they still have a realistic chance to capture the division title. Carolina is 9-3-1 in its last 13 overall, so it heads into Thursday’s contest against Florida with a lot of momentum. The ‘Canes are an outstanding 21-9-4 at home during the 2023-24 campaign. I have nothing bad to say about the Panthers; they are a very good team. I just think at home the Hurricanes get the job done in what should be the best game on Thursday’s NHL slate.
