Many eyes in the college basketball world will be on Dean Smith Center Saturday as host North Carolina looks to handle the Virginia Cavaliers in NCAAB action.

North Carolina will face the 19-4 Cavaliers, who own a 12-6 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Tar Heels are 12-10-1 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Cavaliers are 3-15 favoring the OVER.



View Virginia vs North Carolina Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
North Carolina opened as 10-point favorites in this College Basketball tilt.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Tar Heels - Cavaliers odds would favor the Tar Heels if the lines were set according to our power ranks. North Carolina is rated No. 7 in the current Odds Shark poll, while Virginia is at No. 86. Mathematical models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 83-80 win for the Tar Heels.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Cavaliers is ranked No. 246 in NCAA hoops at 33.3 per game. Contrast that with North Carolina’s No. 1 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, North Carolina is the No. 276-ranked team in the country at 5.1 per game, while Virginia rates No. 274 at 5.1 per game.

Defensively, Virginia features the nation's No. 4-rated defense on the road, allowing 54.4 points per game. North Carolina, meanwhile, comes in at No. 4 nationally in scoring at home.

Virginia was a 68-44 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Wake Forest. They covered the 13.5-point spread as favorites. The battle between the Cavaliers and Demon Deacons didn’t turn out to be much of a battle at all as Wake Forest was handed a 68-44 defeat on Wednesday at John Paul Jones Arena.

North Carolina was an 85-84 loser in their most recent outing at home against Duke. They failed to cover the 6-point spread as favorites. Harrison Barnes scored 25 points for North Carolina on Wednesday, but the Blue Devils managed an 85-84 victory over the Tar Heels at Dean Smith Center.


Virginia Cavaliers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Clemson are 3-7
After playing Wake Forest are 3-7
After a win are 7-3

North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Miami are 8-2
After playing Duke are 9-1
After a loss are 9-1

A few Cavaliers at Tar Heels trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Virginia's last 5 games on the road
Virginia is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia's last 6 games when playing on the road against North Carolina
Virginia is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against North Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Carolina's last 5 games when playing Virginia
North Carolina is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
North Carolina is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
North Carolina is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Virginia


Next up:
Virginia at Clemson, Tuesday, February 14
North Carolina at Miami, Wednesday, February 15