The North Carolina Tar Heels (9-4, 1-1 ACC) visit the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-4, 2-0) Friday. Tip from Petersen Events Center is set for noon ET (ESPN).'Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh'odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
North Carolina beat Michigan 80-76 on a neutral court Dec. 21 but failed to cover as 5-point favorites. The Tar Heels are 4-8-1 against the spread (ATS) but have covered 3 of their last 4 games. Returning many players from their championship-winning roster a season ago, the expectations have not met the reality. North Carolina is 0-2 straight up in true road games.
Pittsburgh is 6-1 straight up at home. The Panthers are coming off an 84-82 win over Syracuse, covering as 3.5-point road underdogs. The Panthers have an impressive 9-3-1 ATS record and have covered 8 games in a row. Pittsburgh has seen success behind a defense that ranks 73rd in opponents’ field goal percentage (40.5%) and 43rd in opponents’ three-point field goal percentage (29.1%).
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