Oklahoma vs North Carolina Predictions & Expert Picks for Game 2

• North Carolina is a slim favorite over Oklahoma in Game 2 of the College World Series
• Ryan Lynch will get the ball for UNC, while the Sooners will counter with Xander Mercurius
• Don’t miss the Oklahoma vs North Crolina predictions and expert picks for Game 2, below

The Oklahoma Sooners fairytale run at the College World Series continues today, with a chance to win their first National Championship since 1994. Oklahoma trounced North Carolina in 9-3 in the first game of their double-elimination set, and are now one win away from securing the SEC’s seventh consecutive title.

Prediction markets, however, expect this series to go the distance. They’ve pegged UNC as slim favorites today, and I think you can make the argument that the Tar Heels price isn’t short enough.

First pitch for Game 2 is set for 2:30 pm ET at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, with ABC providing broadcast coverage across the country.

Below, you’ll find my favorite Oklahoma vs North Carolina predictions and expert picks for Game 2 of the College World Series.

Oklahoma vs North Carolina Odds for Game 2 (CWS)

Odds as of June 21 at Kalshi. Make sure you use SBD’s exclusive Kalshi sign-up bonus before wagering on the College World Series.

As of Sunday morning, The Tar Heels are trading at 52-cents to beat the Sooners, which is the equivalent of a -108 moneyline favorite in traditional sports betting terms. Oklahoma comes back as a 50-cent underdog (+100), while the total is trading at 62 cents to exceed 8.5 runs (-163).

Oklahoma vs North Carolina Predictions & Expert Picks for Game 2

• North Carolina Moneyline (52¢ at Kalshi)

Before I dive into my Oklahoma vs North Carolina picks, let’s review the Sooners historic run. This is a team that had a losing record in the SEC portion of their schedule, and was one-and-done in the conference tournament.

Since then, however, they’ve yet to taste defeat. Oklahoma swept the Regional and Super Regional rounds, dispatching nationally ranked programs like Georgia Tech, Georgia and Kansas along the way. They’ve seen an increase in production up and down the lineup, led by catcher Deiten Lachance.

Lachance clubbed two more home runs on Saturday, giving OU 10 homers through four College World Series games, the most of any team since 2011. Lachance is one of the most unlikely heroes, boasting 6 postseason dingers, and hitting all of his team-leading 18 home runs over the past 32 games. The Sooners battered UNC ace Jason DeCaro for 7 runs in just 3+ innings, after he hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his previous 18 starts this season.

At this point, given Oklahoma’s run, you might think it’s crazy to fade them as underdogs. However, don’t count out this North Carolina squad. The Tar Heels are about as resilient as they come. They were down to their final two outs in the Super Regional round against USC, before staging a dramatic rally to book their trip to Omaha. They hit for power and average as well as any team in the nation, and were the favorites in the College World Series odds before Super Regionals.

Yesterday, their offense hit a bit of a bump in the road, but that was against lefty Cord Rager. North Carolina’s lineup is loaded with left-handed bats, and they struggled versus southpaws all season. Today is a different story with OU turning to freshman Xander Mercurius, a right-hander the Tar Heels bats can exploit.

Mercurius boasts an unspectacular 4.76 ERA this postseason, and has had issues throwing strikes. That’s bad news versus a lineup that hits .292, with an .888 OPS, and draws an average of 5+ walks per game. They are constantly on base, and will wear down Mercurius early, forcing the Sooners into their bullpen.

Opposing Mercurius for North Carolina will be Ryan Lynch, who’s operated as UNC’s opening starter all postseason. Lynch threw 4.2 innings of 2-run ball in a victory over West Virginia in his previous CWS start, and with all hands on deck, Caden Glauber is expected to come in behind him.

That’s bad news for the Sooner bats. Glauber is widely considered the best freshman pitcher in the nation. He alternates between starter and relief roles, boasting nasty stuff. The righty averages over 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, and has yielded 1 run or less in 22 of his 28 appearances this season.

With their backs against the wall, and a significant pitching advantage in their favor, bet the Tar Heels to snap Oklahoma’s winning streak today, and force a one-game winner take all showdown for the National Championship.