North Carolina hosts Louisville at the Dean E. Smith Center as they try to stay in first place in the ACC. North Carolina has won four straight over Louisville. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with a Louisville-North Carolina prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Louisville hasn't had a good time in ACC play, losing four of their first five games. They are 3-7 over their last ten games but haven't had an easy schedule. They've been heavy underdogs in their past five games, playing powers like Kentucky, Virginia, and Miami. The Hurricanes were 16.5-point favorites when Louisville went on the road to Miami. Louisville took a nine-point victory, adding to the upset list this college basketball season. It won't get any easier for Louisville, as they have upcoming games against Wake Forest, Duke, and a rematch with Virginia. Louisville's offensive depth isn't lacking, as they have five players averaging double digits. Mike James and Skyy Clark lead the way with 14.3 points per game.

A switch flipped for North Carolina after they dropped two consecutive games to Kentucky and Connecticut in December. Since then, the Tar Heels won six straight and covered them all. They've not only been covering. North Carolina has been blowing away their opponents and the spreads. RJ Davis leads the way with 20.4 points per game, but Armando Bacot is still the rock in the frontcourt. Bacot averages 14.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. North Carolina is first in the ACC with a 5-0 record.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Louisville-North Carolina Odds

Louisville: +23 (-110)

Moneyline:

North Carolina: -23 (-110)

Moneyline:

Over: 155 (-110)

Under: 155 (-110)

How to Watch Louisville vs. North Carolina 

Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT

TV: ACC Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Louisville Will Cover The Spread

This may be an easy game to overlook for the Tar Heels. They've been victorious in six straight and have a long road ahead on their ACC schedule. When looking at the statistics and the recent form, there aren't many reasons to bet on the Cardinals. However, if you think this number is too big, you can close your eyes and hope for a backdoor cover.

Why North Carolina Will Cover The Spread

The Cardinals aren't going to do much to slow down North Carolina's offense in this matchup. It's hard to find a team that dominates the opposition by this much statistically, especially when both teams play in the same conference. North Carolina's offense is ranked better than Louisville's defense in every statistical category except for blocks. North Carolina ranks 327th in the nation, allowing opponents to block them 4.7 times per game. The Tar Heels are bested in this category only because of how terrible their metric is since Louisville only ranks 242nd in the nation in blocks per game.

North Carolina ranks 22nd in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 83.8 points per game. Louisville ranks 302nd, allowing 76.6 points per game. The Tar Heels offense is even more impressive when you consider their strength of schedule. The ACC is already a gauntlet, but they have also played Villanova, Arkansas, Tennessee, UConn, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. North Carolina played some of the nation's best teams in their nonconference schedule and still ranks among the top in offensive production. The fact they escaped this schedule with just three close losses is also a testament to their form this season. They lost by an average of five points.

Final Louisville-North Carolina Prediction & Pick

North Carolina is dominating their opponents since losing two consecutive games in December. They are winners of six straight and have covered the spread in each game. When betting on the Tar Heels in those games, it hasn't been much of a sweat. They are covering the spread by an average of 12.6 points per game. The Tar Heels didn't like their losses to Kentucky and UConn, and they are taking out their anger on the rest of the ACC. Louisville's defense doesn't know what they are in for on the road Wednesday night, and this could be another romp added to the list for North Carolina.

Final Louisville-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: North Carolina -23 (-110)