The North Carolina Tar Heels have risen to the top of the ultra-competitive ACC, and will aim to stay there when they face off against the Miami Hurricanes.
Miami has put together a solid season, but it won’t be easy to pull off this upset against one of the best teams in the country. The Tar Heels have won seven consecutive games and won’t be intimidated by going on the road.
The Hurricanes have a nice record but haven’t knocked off any truly elite teams, which could be troubling heading into this one.
At 1 p.m. ET, tune into CBS for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Sunday, January 28, 2017, at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
North Carolina is 19-3 straight up and 13-9 against the spread. The Tar Heels have played eight games on the road this season but have covered in only two of them, which is much worse than what it has done at home. North Carolina is 13-8 against the spread as the favorite.
Miami is 13-6 straight up but only 5-13 against the spread. The Hurricanes have played in nine home games and covered in only seven of them, as most of their wins have been closer than expected. Miami has been the underdog three times on the season and has only covered once.
Player to Watch
Davon Reed – Miami’s leading scorer is red hot right now. Reed, who leads the team with 15.5 points a game, has combined for 99 points over the last five games including dropping a season-high 24 points on Wake Forest on January 18th.
Reed also scored 21 points against No. 20 Notre Dame on January 12 and is averaging 19.8 points a game since that contest. It’s a nice time for the senior to be hitting his stride with back-to-back contests against North Carolina and Florida State coming up. He will need to play well if there is any hope for an upset.
Miami will be looking to Reed and Ja'Quan Newton this weekend. Newton is averaging 15.1 points a game and 3.9 assists and has to score well as North Carolina will push the ball at will and try to turn this into a shootout.
Key Stat
45.9. That’s how many rebounds North Carolina is averaging per game this season. The team ranks No. 1 in the nation for rebounding and also sits No. 4 for assists per game and points per game with 18.3 and 89.4, respectively.
The team’s top rebounder Kennedy Meeks is a game-changer for the Tar Heels. He has seven double-doubles this year and averages 9,6 rebounds and 13 points per game.
Justin Jackson is the team’s leading scorer with 18.2 points a game, but he’s surrounded by playmakers on any given night as well. The Tar Heels are hitting on all cylinders right now which is what makes this team so hard to beat.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
In a conference that has a ton of great teams, North Carolina is trying to distinguish itself as the best. The Tar Heels have done a nice job of that lately and want to keep the pedal to the metal with an easy win.
The Hurricanes have a good enough record to be considered for March Madness and need to add some signature wins. This would certainly be one, but the task is too tall.
North Carolina should be able to continue its conference dominance with an easy win over an outmanned Hurricanes squad.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina 92, Miami 75
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