The Tar Heels will be looking to pick up a win and cover the spread when they take on the Pirates in East Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday in Week 5 action.

The Pirates sport records of 1-2 and 2-1 ATS heading into this matchup, while the Tar Heels sit at 3-1 and 2-2 ATS on the season. The over under records are 1-2 for the Pirates and 2-2 for the Tar Heels.



View North Carolina vs East Carolina Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: East Carolina opened as 6-point underdogs. The total was to be set a bit later in the week for over under betting purposes.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Pirates rated this week at No. 29 and the Tar Heels sitting at No. 65. It may or may not play a role in OddsShark score prediction models that turned out a 37-20 result in favor of the Tar Heels this week.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up East Carolina's No. 81-ranked offense (25 PPG) against a Tar Heels defense that ranks No. 42 at 21 PPG. The Pirates passing attack has averaged 249.3 yards per game, more than the Tar Heels give up through the air (219.2 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Tar Heels feature the league's No. 109-rated road run defense, allowing 312 yards per game. East Carolina, meanwhile, ranks No. 109 in rushing offense at home.

Last time out for North Carolina, they were a 35-28 loser as they battled Georgia Tech on the road. North Carolina failed to cover in the match as a 6.5-point underdog, while 63 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Last time out for East Carolina, they were a 28-23 Sportsbook as they battled UAB at home. East Carolina failed to cover in the match as a 16.5-point favorite, while 51 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.


North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on grass are 7-3
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing outside the conference are 8-2

East Carolina Pirates Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on grass are 3-7
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 1-9

A few Tar Heels at Pirates trends to consider:
North Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
North Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing East Carolina
North Carolina is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of East Carolina's last 9 games
East Carolina is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
East Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
East Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home


Next up:
North Carolina home to Louisville, Saturday, October 8
East Carolina at Houston, Saturday, October 8