The Tar Heels hope to be lousy hosts on Saturday as the Long Beach State 49ers pay a visit to Dean Smith Center on the college basketball betting menu.

The Tar Heels bring a 7-2 record (5-3 ATS) to this tilt against the 4-4 49ers, who are 3-4 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have witnessed North Carolina go 4-4 so far and the 49ers go 5-2.



View Long Beach State vs North Carolina Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're backing the visitors in this one, you'll find the 49ers listed as 17-point underdogs

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 8 (Tar Heels) and the No. 10 (49ers) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAB power rank. A 91-79 result in favor of the Tar Heels has been projected by the scores prediction engine.



How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features North Carolina's No. 10-ranked scoring average of 84.1 PPG, against a 49ers defense rated No. 242 and allowing 69.9 PPG. The Tar Heels FG% has averaged 48.4% to date this season, more than the 49ers shooters have managed so far (46.9% per game).

Defensively, Long Beach State features the nation's No. 293-rated defense on the road, allowing 78.6 points per game. North Carolina, meanwhile, comes in at No. 16 nationally in scoring at home.

Long Beach State was an 88-80 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Kansas. They covered the 13.5–point spread as underdogs. Long Beach State suffered an 88-80 loss against Kansas on Tuesday, getting 19 points from T.J. Robinson in a losing effort at Allen Fieldhouse.

North Carolina won its last outing, a 97-48 result against Evansville on December 6. They covered in that game as a 24-point favorite. The Tar Heels blew out Evansville on Tuesday, running up a 20+ point victory in a 97-48 win at Dean Smith Center.


Long Beach State 49ers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
After a loss are 4-6

North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Appalachian State are 1-1
After playing Evansville are 2-0
After a win are 6-4

A few 49ers at Tar Heels trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Long Beach State's last 5 games on the road
Long Beach State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Long Beach State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
North Carolina is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games at home
North Carolina is 19-4 SU in its last 23 games


Next up:
Long Beach State home to Eastern New Mexico, Monday, December 19
North Carolina home to Appalachian State, Saturday, December 17