Las Vegas hosts the CBS Classic between Kentucky and North Carolina. It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with a North Carolina-Kentucky prediction and pick based on North Carolina Kentucky odds.

North Carolina is surprisingly not in the top-25 at this point in the season. They are 8-2 in the season and lost two tough games to No. 6 Purdue and No. 17 Tennessee. NC bounced back with a win over No. 24 Michigan and are on a five-game winning streak. You would think that would be enough to put them into the top-25, but a win over No. 21 Kentucky should put them back in the rankings. This should be an exciting matchup between two historical universities.

Kentucky is 7-2 on the year and is fresh off a loss to Notre Dame last Saturday. Kentucky is a very good defensive team and in fact, are 5-0 when averaging at least seven or more steals. That is going to be something to watch Saturday as both of these teams need this win badly. Kentucky leads Division I with an offensive rebound percentage of 45%. Those second-chance points are a major reason for their success.

Here is how FanDuel set the North Carolina-Kentucky line for Saturday night.

College Basketball Odds: North Carolina-Kentucky Odds

North Carolina: +3 (-110)

Kentucky: -3 (-110)

Over: 144.5 (-110)

Under: 144.5 (-110)

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Why North Carolina Could Cover The Spread

North Carolina is just 3-7 against the spread this season. That causes concern even though they are 8-2. They should be able to cover this spread if they defend well because their defense isn't playing well this year. The Tar Heels are allowing over 70 points per game which will not get the job done this season. NC is led by guard Caleb Love and forward Armando Bacot. Bacot is a lengthy wing who can defend very well and shoot for a high average. He is shooting 61.9% from the floor and is averaging 14.3 points with 1.7 blocks. Love is averaging 16.2 points and 1.6 steals per game.

Kentucky provides a tough challenge for the Tar Heels. Both teams average right around the same amount of points but Kentucky's defense allows 10 fewer points per game. That is something to keep an eye on in this game because if North Carolina starts to hit their shots, this game could go back-and-forth the entire game.

Why Kentucky Could Cover The Spread

If the Wildcats are playing their best, they should be able to cover this spread. A 4-point victory is very doable but Kentucky will need to focus on the defensive end. Becuase they currently defend better than the Tar Heels, North Carolina is going to do whatever it takes to rupture the defense. North Carolina utilizes a ton of weapons and can score very easily if they are in rhythm.

Kentucky is led by forward Oscar Tshiebwe and guard TyTy Washington Jr. Both are averaging north of 13 points per game but Tshiebwe is averaging a massive 14.4 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-9 forward from Congo is leading the entire nation in rebounds. If he is on his game and not allowing much on the defensive end, then that will be a huge factor in Kentucky covering this spread and winning.

Final North Carolina-Kentucky Prediction & Pick

North Carolina is on a five-game winning streak and Kentucky is fresh off of a loss. Because of that, I'm taking North Carolina to cover this spread and potentially “upset” Kentucky. These two teams are very similar and could finish the season with similar records. For now, I think the Tar Heels get the better of them and continue their hot run. This could be one of the better matchups of the entire NCAA season.

Final North Carolina-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: North Carolina +3 (-110)