No. 25 North Carolina hosts unranked Virginia in a battle for the ACC Tournament! It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with a Virginia-North Carolina prediction and pick.
Virginia is coming off a close win over Lousiville last night in the 2nd round of the tournament. They defeated them 51-50 in what was a low-scoring affair. The Cavaliers are (19-12) on the season and will likely make the NCAA tournament even if they lose this game tonight. As for NC, they are coming off a huge win over Duke to put them back into the rankings. They spoiled Coach K's final home game in the best way they could have possibly done it. Now as the No. 25 team in the nation, they look to get back into contention for the ACC Tournament.
Here are the Virginia-North Carolina ACC Tournament odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
ACC Tournament Odds: Virginia-North Carolina Odds
Virginia: +4 (-110)
North Carolina: -4 (-110)
Over: 130 (-110)
Under: 130 (-110)
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Why Virginia Could Cover The Spread
Virginia will be happy to face a different opponent tonight as they took down the Cardinals the last two games. The first half of yesterday's game was low-scoring. Neither side could shoot well at all but the defensive efforts were very aggressive. For Virginia, Jayden Gardner scored 17 points to lead the Cavaliers but it was Reece Beekman that won the game for them. His layup with around 40 seconds left put them up four and that basically sealed it as Gardner ended with two late free throws. Eli Ellis hit a three with one second left for Louisville but it was too late as the Cavs advanced.
Virginia will need to improve their game in the first half if they want to upset North Carolina here. As for covering, they have a tough chance of doing so because it's a small spread. I believe this game will be close but Virginia will need to play better offensively if they want to keep it close in the end. They have a tough task on the defensive end as they need to contain four really solid players for the Tar Heels including Armando Bacot who averages 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds off of 59.5% shooting.
Why North Carolina Could Cover The Spread
If Bacot, Caleb Love, Brady Manek, and R.J. Davis are all on their game, then the Tar Heels could win big tonight. This team is stacked with those four elite players, and they all came up huge against Duke. Virginia doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Tar Heels if they are making shots. NC averages 78.6 points per game on the season while Virginia averages only 63.2. On the other hand, Virginia defends better as they allow 12 fewer points per game. When the Tar Heels have the ball, that's when this game will be the most exciting.
North Carolina shouldn't have much trouble covering this 4-point spread tonight. Virginia will be on a back-to-back and these players aren't used to doing that. North Carolina is well-rested after their upset win at Duke and will be feeling confident in their chances. If Bacot is playing well I think that might be enough.
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Final Virginia-North Carolina Prediction & Pick
Take the Tar Heels to win this game by at least four points. This matchup favors them even though Virginia defends well. Both teams were about .500 against the spread this season so that won't have a factor tonight.
Final Virginia-North Carolina Pick: North Carolina -4 (-110)
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