College basketball picks: North Carolina-Notre Dame prediction, odds, spread for Feb. 22

The North Carolina Tar Heels will need to claw their way into the tournament as we approach the end of the season. They face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend on Wednesday, February 22. The game will air on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. ET. Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

North Carolina vs. Notre Dame odds

Spread: UNC -6.5
Over/Under: 148
Moneyline: UNC -280, Notre Dame +235

UNC (16-11, 8-8 ACC) has had quite the tailspin in the second half of their season. They are 1-5 in February with their latest loss occurring against in-state rival NC State. The Tar Heels are on the edge of the bubble to make March Madness and rank 44th at KenPom. They will need a big end-of-season push to get into the tournament. UNC scores 77.9 points per game (47th in the nation).

Notre Dame (10-17, 2-14 ACC) has had a very rough season in ACC play, but has made something of a final push in February. They came down to a last-second shot against No. 6 Virginia and kept Duke within four points in their last two games, both on the road. The Irish rank 171st at KenPom and average 70.1 points per game.

The Pick: Notre Dame +6.5

North Carolina is 2-7 on the road this year, and while Notre Dame has not been particularly good, their late-season push combined with the Heels' late-season disaster does not look promising for UNC. The Irish have covered in their last two games against much better teams, and I think they put together enough of a game to cover the spread here.

  
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