The Virginia Cavaliers and North Carolina Tar Heels have consistently been the best two teams in the ACC all season long, and it wouldn't be a shock to see either one en route to the Final Four in a couple weeks. Before they get drawn into the brackets though, they've got to go through each other in Washington D.C. for the right to be called conference champions.
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SCHEDULING
Both of these teams have had to play games on consecutive nights, but live bettors should notice a much fresher North Carolina team than the one which Virginia will have on the floor. The Cavaliers had to play a bloodbath last night against Miami, a 73-68 win which easily could've gone the other way. UNC has had a pair of romps over Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, the latter of which saw just two players on the court for more than 27 minutes.
The Tar Heels are also the significantly deeper team, going nine deep, and that could come into play in this game as well for live bettors. Virginia might've used nine as well against Miami, but there's really not much confidence in the back end of the bench, particularly when the going gets tough in gritty situations.
KEY MATCHUP
North Carolina has a clear advantage in the frontcourt with Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks. However, where Virginia won this first meeting between these two teams was in its backcourt, and that's going to be the key for live bettors to follow in this game.
Marcus Paige has struggled for much of this season, and he had a game to forget in Charlottesville. Yes, he scored 13 points, but he only shot 4-of-13 from the field and had zero answer whatsoever for Malcolm Brodgon on the other side of the court. Brogdon went off for 26 points, and he basically got wherever on the floor he wanted to with Paige or Joel Berry II trailing him.
Brogdon has scored at least 24 points in both of his games here in D.C., and when he's on his game, and he can really take things over on both sides of the court for the Hoos. His defense on Paige is going to be crucial, especially with the senior leader for UNC coming off of a game against Notre Dame in which he had 16 points and seven assists without a turnover.
If the Cavaliers are winning the battle of the backcourt, the advantage which North Carolina has with its bigs won't seem so large. That's what's going to keep this game close more than anything else.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
North Carolina did win the battle of pace when these two teams played in Charlottesville last month. Both teams eked near 80 possessions, a number which UNC would love to get to again in this game. The Tar Heels have a defense which can be dominant, particularly when the game starts to get out of hand, which is what Notre Dame figured out on Friday night. The Irish had 71 possessions and mustered just 47 points, a paltry 0.66 points per possession. Clearly, if Virginia is averaging under a point per possession, live bettors will see this game get out of hand.
It's worth remembering though, that the win over North Carolina sparked a huge run for the Hoos. They've won and covered their last five and are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall headed into the ACC Championship Game.
To its credit, North Carolina is 3-0 SU and ATS since the start of March.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The North Carolina Tar Heels and Virginia Cavaliers will square off Saturday, March 12, 2016, at 9:00 p.m. ET at the Verizon Center. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN.
