The UC Riverside Highlanders (1-2) travel to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (2-0) on Friday, November 17th. This game will be played at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill and televised on ACCN. North Carolina is coming off a win in their previous game, while UC Riverside is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Portland. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.
UC Riverside Highlanders vs North Carolina Tar Heels
The UC Riverside Highlanders Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
UC Riverside has a 1-2 overall record after three games. Their record in the previous ten road games, which includes last year, is 4-6. As of today’s game, UC Riverside is 0-3 against the spread. When factoring in the previous season, UC Riverside has gone 4-6 ATS in their last ten games.
Looking at their over/under performance through three games, UC Riverside has an over/under record of 1-2-0, with their games averaging 140.3 points per game on average. The Highlanders’ last five games have culminated with an average of 69 points per game and an over/under record of 2-3.
The North Carolina Tar Heels Are Coming Off A Win
Today, North Carolina will face UC Riverside in their third game of the season. So far, they have a perfect 2-0 record. Looking back at their previous ten home games, including those from last year, North Carolina has a 4-6 record. Heading into today’s game, North Carolina has a 0-2 ATS record. Taking into account the previous three games, which includes last year’s matchups, North Carolina is 1-2 vs. the spread with an average scoring differential of +13.
So far, North Carolina’s games have averaged 157 points per game with the average over/under line being 152.5 points. In the Tar Heels’ last five games, the combined scoring average stands at 77 points per game, accompanied by an over/under record of 3-2.
UC Riverside Offense Breakdown
Coming off their recent game, the UC Riverside offense tallied 65 points in a matchup against Portland. Their field goal percentage for the game was 33.3%, and they made 10 threes. Barrington Hargress led the team in scoring, putting up 17 points. Additionally, Kyle Owens contributed 13 points for the Highlanders.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrington Hargress (G) | 12.3 | 2.7 | 4.0 |
| Isaiah Moses (G) | 10.0 | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| Jhaylon Martinez (C) | 7.7 | 4.7 | 0.0 |
North Carolina Offense Breakdown
Coming off their recent game, the North Carolina offense tallied 90 points in a matchup against Lehigh. Their field goal percentage for the game was 46.3%, and they made 5 threes. One area that the North Carolina offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 54th in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 49%.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armando Bacot (F) | 23.5 | 16.5 | 1.0 |
| RJ Davis (G) | 17.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Harrison Ingram (F) | 13.0 | 5.5 | 2.0 |
UC Riverside Team Defense
Currently, the Highlanders’ defense holds the 97th rank in the nation, allowing 75.7 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, UC Riverside’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 46.8% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 41.0% this season.
North Carolina Team Defense
Currently, the Tar Heels’ defense holds the 64th rank in the nation, allowing 69.0 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, North Carolina’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 39.5% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 31.6% this season.
Highlanders vs Tar Heels Trends
- Through their last ten road contests, the Highlanders offense has averaged 70 points per game while allowing an average of 75. UC Riverside posted an overall record of 4-6 while going 3-7 ATS.
- In their last five games at home, the Tar Heels have a straight up record of 2-3 while going 1-4 vs. the spread. The team averaged 70 points per game in this stretch.
- Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Highlanders have gone 5-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 5-5.
- The last ten games that North Carolina was favored, they have an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 7-3 straight up.
Highlanders vs Tar Heels Prediction
When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Tar Heels vs. Tar Heels game, our recommendation is to take the Tar Heels at -22. Despite our model showing the Tar Heels winning 75-67, we like Highlanders as our point-spread pick.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 149.5, and our model predicts the Highlanders and Tar Heels to score a combined 142 points. We recommend betting on the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:November 17, 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels, UC Riverside Highlanders, Uncategorized