The No. 10-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels hit the road to face the Syracuse Orange tonight. The Heels have come back to life after a mini-slump in January and have won five straight. Syracuse, meanwhile, is riding high after a huge road win in Miami and opened as a 4-point dog in Upstate New York.
North Carolina is 10-5 SU in ACC conference play this season and one of the main reasons for its success has been rebounding. The defending national champions routinely out-rebound their competition as evidenced by their 11.7 rebounding differential. Senior Joel Berry II and Luke Maye continue to be offensive forces for the Tar Heels and their three-point shooting will be put to the test vs Syracuse’s patented zone defense.
The Orange are currently on the bubble for the March Madness tournament as they’ve been a Jekyll and Hyde team all year. Syracuse doesn’t have a win vs a ranked team this season and is 7-7 SU in conference play. Tyus Battle will need to carry the scoring load for the Orange and has averaged 19.9 points per game in this campaign. But the team’s recent history vs UNC doesn’t look great as ’Cuse has lost five straight vs the Tar Heels by an average margin of 11.8 points.
The total opened at 143 and an OVER should be heavily considered by bettors. The OVER has hit in four of the last five games in this matchup and the total has gone OVER in North Carolina’s last three games on the road.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The Syracuse Orange opened as 4-point underdogs in this college basketball tilt over at Sportsbook but the number may be on the move. Watch for the Sportsbook OVER/UNDER total as well at Sportsbook.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs Syracuse Orange Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Syracuse Orange are 18-9 so far on the season, and 11-14 ATS vs the number. The North Carolina Tar Heels, meanwhile, are 21-7 and 16-10-1 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Syracuse go 11-14 and North Carolina go 15-11-1 on betting totals.
It's a betting matchup between the No. 193-rated Orange and the No. 37-ranked Tar Heels, according to the latest college hoops power rankings here at OddsShark.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits Syracuse's No. 224-ranked offense, averaging 68.67 PPG, against a North Carolina defense that ranks No. 163 at 73.43 PPG. The Orange's field-goal percentage has averaged 42.75% so far, less than the Tar Heels marksmen have achieved on the year, 46.76% per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
North Carolina earned a 93-76 victory over Louisville on Saturday, getting 23 points from Joel Berry II at KFC Yum Center.
Franklin Howard scored 18 points leading the Orange to a 62-55 victory over Miami at Watsco Center on Saturday.
Next Betting Matchups
North Carolina home to Miami, Tuesday, February 27
Syracuse at Duke, Saturday, February 24