The NCAA Tournament First Round Schedule: Ole Miss Basketball vs. North Carolina

The Rebels will square off against the Tar Heels in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament, all eyes on Beard and Co.

Feb 26, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) during the game against the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images / John Reed-Imagn Images

Chris Beard and the No. 6 seeded Ole Miss Rebels are prepared for a First Round NCAA Tournament matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday afternoon in Milwaukee (Wisc.).

Beard and Co. enter the matchup following a standout season in Oxford with the program punching its ticket to the Big Dance.

Now, the Rebels will look to take dowm the Tar Heels up North in a showdown against one of the most coveted programs in college basketball history.

A look into how to watch Friday's Ole Miss showdown, model predictions and the full Day 2 NCAA Tournament schedule.

How to Watch: Ole Miss Rebels vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

Start Time: 4:05 p.m. ET, March 21
Channel: TNT
Location: Milwaukee (Wisc.)

ESPN's Prediction: Ole Miss Rebels vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

ESPN Analytics Predictor: North Carolina
BPI Predicted Point Differential: 1.6
Ole Miss Win Probability: 43.7%
North Carolina Win Probability: 56.3%
BPI Matchup Quality: 87.0

What is the ESPN Basketball Power Index?

"The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is," according to ESPN.

"Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

Friday, March 21 (First Round/Round of 64)

(8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Baylor, 12:15 p.m. | CBS
(2) Alabama vs. (15) Robert Morris, 12:40 p.m. | truTV
(3) Iowa State vs. (14) Lipscomb, 1:30 p.m. | TNT
(5) Memphis vs. (12) Colorado State, 2 p.m. | TBS
(1) Duke vs. (16) Mount St. Mary's/American, 2:50 p.m. | CBS
(7) Saint Mary's vs. (10) Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m. | truTV
(6) Ole Miss vs. (11) North Carolina, 4:05 p.m. | TNT
(4) Maryland vs. (13) Grand Canyon, 4:35 p.m. | TBS
(1) Florida vs. (16) Norfolk State, 6:50 p.m. | TNT
(3) Kentucky vs. (14) Troy, 7:10 p.m. | CBS
(7) Marquette vs. (10) New Mexico, 7:25 p.m. | TBS
(4) Arizona vs. (13) Akron, 7:35 p.m. | truTV
(8) UConn vs. (9) Oklahoma, 9:25 p.m. | TNT
(6) Illinois vs. (11) Xavier/Texas, 9:45 p.m. | TNT
(2) Michigan State vs. (15) Bryant, 10 p.m. | TBS
(5) Oregon vs. (12) Liberty, 10:10 p.m. | truTV

(Schedule and times courtesy of the NCAA.)

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