The North Carolina Tar Heels have won six straight games and sit in a three-way tie atop the ACC as the regular season hits its stretch run. Every game is crucial the rest of the way as they aim to knock off the Virginia Tech Hokies next time out.
North Carolina is angling for one of the top seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Hokies would love to pull this upset to boost their own March Madness odds but it will be tough since they are both on the road and the inferior team.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
North Carolina is 18-3 straight up and 12-9 against the spread on the season. The Tar Heels have done really well on the year at home, covering in eight of ten contests. North Carolina has been the favorite in all but one game this season and has covered in 12 of those 20 matchups.
Virginia Tech is 15-4 straight up and 8-7 against the spread. The Hokies have played eight games on the road this season and have covered in half of those. Virginia Tech is 3-2 against the spread as the underdog and will certainly be getting points in this one.
Key Stat
81.5. That’s the number of points Virginia Tech averages on the season, which is actually eight lower than North Carolina. These are two of the highest-scoring teams in the ACC and this one could be a shootout.
Don’t be surprised if the over/under is higher than most games in this one. Both teams have hit the “over” more commonly on the scoring total but the oddsmakers will realize that and could place it aggressively.
North Carolina is led by Justin Jackson, who is averaging 18.2 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. The Tar Heels have three other players averaging in double figures -- Joel Berry II with 15.5 points per game, Isaiah Hicks with 13.1 points per contest and Kennedy Meeks with 13.0 per game.
Virginia Tech’s leading scorer is Zach LeDay, who averages 16.3 points per contest. Ahmed Hill is another key piece, averaging 13.6 points per game, and the Hokies have five players in all who average in double figures.
Injury Report
The Tar Heels got experienced forward Theo Pinson back a couple weeks ago after he missed the first chunk of the season with a broken foot.
He isn’t putting up huge numbers, but he has added to the depth and is doing a little bit of everything for North Carolina. Pinson is averaging 6.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in just under 20 minutes per game.
The Tar Heels are 5-0 in games he has played and seem like a more well-rounded team after the addition.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
North Carolina is playing well and is tied with Florida State and Notre Dame atop the conference. The Tar Heels are the strongest program of that trio and at this point seems to have the inside track at the conference championship.
Virginia Tech has a win over Duke already this season and would love to upset fellow power North Carolina. However, the Tar Heels are playing well and get a home game, so they shouldn’t have much trouble taking care of business.
This should be an entertaining up-and-down affair which North Carolina should take easily.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina 95, Virginia Tech 82
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