The No. 7-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will be put to the test when they challenge the No. 20-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. The Vols have risen from the depths of the SEC and are 7-1 SU this season after finishing last year at 16-16 SU. They’ll look to defend home-court vs the Tar Heels who have been equally as impressive at 9-1 SU. The Tar Heels opened as slight favorites to escape from the Thompson-Boling Arena with the W.
- UNC is 15-1 SU in its last 16 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in five of UNC’s last six road games.
- Tennessee is 4-2 ATS in its last six games.
The only real blemish on the Tar Heels resume this season is when they got smoked by Michigan State 63-45. The defending NCAA champions have taken care of business since and are led by forward Luke Maye, who is averaging a team-lead in scoring at 19.9 points per game and also chips in 10.8 rebounds per game. He and point guard Joel Berry II will need to carry the load for North Carolina tonight and bettors shouldn’t feel bashful backing the Tar Heels in this one.
Tennessee has been a revelation this season compared to last year’s disaster. The Vols have gotten a great impact from sophomore guard Grant Williams, who has picked up his scoring average to 16.1 points per game this season after averaging 12.6 points per game last season. And he hasn’t shied away from big games as evidenced during Tennessee’s only loss this season to Villanova when he scored 20 points.
The total opened at 155.5 and bettors may want to consider the OVER. Both of these teams have excellent firepower with seven players combined averaging over 10 points per game. Both of these teams average over 80 points per game this season and the OVER has hit in six of the Tar Heels nine games this season.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The Tennessee Volunteers were listed as 2-point underdogs at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the over/under betting odds total was expected shortly.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs Tennessee Volunteers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
This college basketball season, the Tennessee Volunteers are 7-1 overall and 4-2 ATS, while the North Carolina Tar Heels are 9-1 and 6-3 ATS. As for the betting totals, Tennessee boasts a 4-2 on the OU, and North Carolina is 6-3.
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 15-rated North Carolina Tar Heels taking on the No. 94-rated Tennessee Volunteers in this contest.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels rank No. 4 in NCAA Basketball Division 1 with 44.8 per game. That compares with Tennessee’s No. 101 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Tennessee is college basketball's No. 71-ranked team at 8.75 per game, while the North Carolina Tar Heels rate No. 152 with 7.5 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The battle between the Tar Heels and Catamounts didnt turn out to be much of a battle at all as Western Carolina was handed a 104-61 defeat on Wednesday at Dean Smith Center.
Tennessee earned a 81-71 victory over Lipscomb on Saturday, getting 19 points from Grant Williams at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- North Carolina is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
- North Carolina is 15-1 SU in its last 16 games
- North Carolina is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games on the road
- North Carolina is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- Tennessee is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
- Tennessee is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tennessee's last 6 games
- Tennessee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
North Carolina home to Wofford, Wednesday, December 20th
Tennessee at Furman, Wednesday, December 20th
