The Tar Heels will look to bring the momentum of a massive win over NC State back to the Dean E. Smith Center against Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
North Carolina is now 16-11 overall this season with a 9-6 record against teams in the conference. They are the No. 6 ranked team in the ACC, two games behind SMU and Wake Forest. They will bring a two-game winning streak into this game after beating Syracuse on the road and NC State at home, not trailing at all in either game.
The Virginia Cavaliers head into this weekend with a 6-9 record overall and a 6-9 record against teams in the conference. They are three games back from the Tar Heels and 8.5 games back from the top of the conference. They had a three-game winning streak against Pitt, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech snapped with a loss against Duke earlier this week.
Here is a look at the betting odds and our predictions for the upcoming ACC contest between the Cavaliers and the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina vs Virginia game odds:
All College Basketball Odds via FanDuel:
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Point Spread: North Carolina -9.5
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Money line: North Carolina -530, Virginia +390
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Over-under: 142.5 total points
North Carolina vs Virginia injury updates:
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North Carolina, no injuries to report
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Virginia, Christian Bliss (G) – out indefinitely (foot)
North Carolina vs Virginia prediction, pick
North Carolina put themselves in a position, with their backs against the walls, to have to win out … maybe with the exception of Duke. However, with the barrage of Quad 2 and 3 games on the remaining portion of their roster and their position on the NCAA Tournament bubble, they can’t afford another loss or March will spell NIT.
Since that time, they have yet to trail in either one of their last two games. They let Syracuse come and and almost lead, but they jumped back out right before the final whistle. In the game against NC State, they dominated from start to finish in a game that boost them up five spots in the NET rankings and from the “Next Four Out” to the “Last Four Out” on Joe Lunardi’s bracketology.
That streak needs to continue, and being back in the Dean Dome against a team that is under .500 in their ACC record, needs to be a big win. Based on the odds, the Tar Heels narrowly pass the over and hit the spread in their favor.
Prediction: North Carolina 82, Virginia 68
North Carolina vs Virginia channel, start time, streaming:
The North Carolina vs Virginia game starts at 4:00 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2 (moved from ESPN).
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball vs Virginia: Betting odds, picks, and predictions
