Is it possible for any team to have a letdown before playing North Carolina? If it is possible, then the Virginia Cavaliers just might have a letdown because they are coming off a huge game against Duke on Saturday. The Cavaliers, Blue Devils and Tar Heels are battling for the top of the ACC so this is a key game on Monday night on ESPN between the Cavaliers and Tar Heels. Let’s look at the matchup and college basketball picks.
This ACC showdown will take place on Monday, February 11, 2019. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. ET from the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
Virginia is coming off a huge game on Saturday against Duke and now they have to go on the road and play at Chapel Hill on Monday with very little rest. It is not a great situation for the Cavaliers to say the least. The good news is that Virginia has been a solid team on the road against the number, as they are 6-1 ATS away from home, with four games going over and three going under. Virginia averages about 73 points per game and gives up about 53 per contest. They are far and away the best defensive team in the country.
North Carolina also played on Saturday, but they have a much easier situation, as they were home against Miami. The Tar Heels were 6-3-2 ATS in their first 11 home games, with six going over and five going under. They are averaging 88.3 points per game which is 2nd best in the country, while they are allowing just about 73.7 points per game.
North Carolina has been rolling over the past month. After a loss to Louisville, head coach Roy Williams decided to figure out what was wrong with his team and he found the answer. He found that the team simply had not been practicing as hard as necessary. He said the team didn’t practice well before the Louisville game and lost. “That’s the last time we’ve had crappy practice the day before or two days before a game,” Williams said to the media, “Since then the preparation and focus in practice immediately before a game has been really good.”
The players have definitely responded. “Just how hard we’re practicing, our attention to detail for scout days,” forward Garrison Brooks said to the media, “Listening to (Coach) and doing what he says.”
Key Player
The Tar Heels have a big time scorer down low in Luke Maye who is averaging 14.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. If the Cavaliers are to win this game on Monday night they will have to find a way to contain Maye.
Key Stats
The Cavaliers have won six of the last ten meetings in this series, with four of the last five going under the total. It has pretty much been a home team series, with North Carolina winning 8 of the last 10 at Chapel Hill, with six of those ten going under the total.
Prediction
I like Virginia as a team, but this is a really difficult spot for them coming off the game against Duke. This North Carolina team continues to get better and playing at home they are tough to beat. The Tar Heels have a great offense that is tough to stop. Virginia has the defense to give North Carolina problems, but keep in mind that the Cavaliers just played a huge game against Duke and now they have to go on the road to Carolina. I think it will be too much for them, so I will take the Tar Heels to get the home win.
CBB Betting Odds: North Carolina 77, Virginia 69
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