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| Providence Friars | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| 23-11 | March 21, 2014, 07:20 | AT&T Center | 23-9 |
No. 11 Providence has paid out in nine of their last dozen games as an underdog on the betting lines as they take on No. 6 North Carolina in East Region odds action on Friday.
North Carolina was favored by just a few points at Sportsbook against a Friars team that has struggled in the tournament, but has been hot lately (7-2 ATS).
Some trends of note include North Carolina ended year on 0-5 ATS run; UNC 4-1 ATS past five first-round games; Providence 7-2 ATS final nine games of season; OVER is 9-1 past 10 Providence games; Providence 9-3 ATS past 12 games as underdogs; Providence 0-4 ATS past four tournament games since 1997.
Odds Shark computer pick - 77.3-73.0 Tar Heels
The Tar Heels bring a 23-9 record (16-16 ATS) to this tilt against the 23-11 Friars, who are 18-14-1 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have witnessed North Carolina go 16-16 so far and the Friars go 20-13.
View Providence Friars vs North Carolina Tar Heels Odds and Stats.
This game matches up the No. 63 (Tar Heels) and the No. 102 (Friars) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAB power rank.
Providence was a 65-58 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Creighton. They covered the 7.5-point spread as underdogs. Providence got 23 points from Bryce Cotton en route to a 65-58 victory over Creighton on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Last time out for North Carolina, they were an 80-75 loser as they battled Pittsburgh at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 1-point favorite. North Carolina got 27 points from Marcus Paige on the way to an 80-75 loss against Pittsburgh on Friday at Greensboro Coliseum.
How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features North Carolina's No. 37-ranked scoring average of 76.31 PPG, against a Friars defense rated No. 127 and allowing 69.53 PPG. The Tar Heels FG% has averaged 46.29% to date this season, more than the Friars shooters have managed so far (42.52% per game).
A few Friars at Tar Heels trends to consider:
Providence is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Providence is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Providence's last 10 games
North Carolina is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
North Carolina is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of North Carolina's last 16 games
