The North Carolina Tar Heels host McNeese State on Saturday, looking to build on their 8-3 mark against the 6-3 Cowboys in college hoops action at Dean Smith Center.

North Carolina battles the Cowboys, currently sitting with a 6-3 mark (0-0 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 5-4 for the Tar Heels and 0-0 for the Cowboys.



View McNeese State vs North Carolina Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Cowboys were listed as 22-point underdogs earlier in the day at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Tar Heels at No. 36 and the Cowboys at No. 74 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 85-76 result in favor of the Tar Heels.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and North Carolina has the nation's No. 5-rated offensive output, at 82.8 PPG. The visiting Cowboys defense ranks No. 175 allowing on average 66.1 PPG. The Tar Heels FG% has averaged 45.3% so far, less than the Cowboys marksmen have achieved on the year, 45.5% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, McNeese State owns the country's No. 202-rated mark, allowing 72 points per game on the highway. North Carolina, on the other hand, rates No. 19 in scoring at home.

McNeese State was an 80-75 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Texas Tech. McNeese State got 18 points from Craig McFerrin en route to an 80-75 victory over Texas Tech on Sunday at United Spirit Arena.

In their last action, North Carolina was an 85-67 loser on the road against Texas. They failed to cover the 5-point spread as favorites. The Tar Heels got 18 points from Reggie Bullock, but it was Texas that prevailed in an 85-67 final on Wednesday at Frank Erwin Center.


North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 9-1
Before playing UNLV are 2-0
After playing Texas are 4-0
After a loss are 10-0

A few Cowboys at Tar Heels trends to consider:
North Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
North Carolina is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games


Next up:
McNeese State at Northwestern State, Thursday, January 3
North Carolina home to UNLV, Saturday, December 29