The North Carolina Tar Heels (13-8) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Panthers (13-6) on Tuesday, January 28th. This game will be played at Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs Pittsburgh Panthers
The Tar Heels Are Coming Off A Win
North Carolina Tar Heels Recent Game/Games
North Carolina improved to 13-8 on the season with a 102-96 win over Boston College on Saturday. The Tar Heels were heavy favorites at home, but they didn’t cover the spread.
North Carolina led 46-45 at halftime and scored 43 points in the second half while allowing 44. The total points for the game reached 198, well over the 148.5 O/U line.
The Panthers Are Coming Off A Win
Pittsburgh Panthers Recent Game/Games
Pittsburgh improved to 13-6 on the season with a 77-73 win over Syracuse on Saturday. The Panthers were -8 favorites going into the game but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 150, just over the 149.5 O/U line.
After trailing 33-32 at halftime, Pittsburgh turned things around in the second half, scoring 45 points while allowing 40.
Tar Heels Offense Breakdown
North Carolina’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 102 points with a field goal percentage of 55.6% and an effective field goal percentage of 60.3%. They shot 61.7% from inside the arc and hit 37.5% of their threes, going 6-for-16 from deep. At the free-throw line, they connected on 78.8%, making 26 of 33 attempts.
Donald Hand Jr. led the way with 26 points, hitting 5 of 8 from three-point range. Dion Brown was also effective from deep, going 4-for-5 and finishing with 20 points. Joshua Beadle was perfect from the field, making all 6 of his shots, including 2 threes. Seth Trimble contributed 12 rebounds, and Jalen Washington added 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Panthers Offense Breakdown
In their last game, the Panthers put up 77 points, shooting 45.9% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 50.8%, and they connected on 71.4% of their free throws, hitting 15 of 21 attempts.
Jaland Lowe led the way with 22 points and 6 assists, despite going 0 for 4 from three-point range. J.J. Starling and Ishmael Leggett each added 16 points, with Leggett hitting both of his three-point attempts. Chris Bell contributed 12 points, making 4 of 9 threes.
Tar Heels Team Defense
North Carolina’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 96 points while allowing their opponent to shoot 55% from the field. Inside the arc, they allowed 61% shooting, with the other team hitting 29 of 47 two-point attempts.
From three-point range, the Tar Heels gave up 6 threes on 16 attempts, a 37% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 33 times, where they converted 26 free throws, shooting 78%. North Carolina allowed 12 offensive rebounds.
Panthers Team Defense
North Carolina’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 96 points on 55% shooting from the field. They allowed their opponent to hit 61% of their two-point attempts, with 29 made shots from inside the arc.
From three-point range, North Carolina’s opponent shot 37%, making 6 of 16 attempts. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 33 times, where they converted 26 free throws for 78%.
Tar Heels vs Panthers Trends
- When looking at their past three road matchups, North Carolina has an ATS record of 0-2-1 while averaging 67 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
- Although Pittsburgh has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 0-3. The team averaged 64 points per game in these games.
- The last three games that North Carolina was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-1-1 while going 1-2 straight up.
- As the betting favorite, the Panthers have an ATS mark of just 3-7 in their last ten games. Pittsburgh posted a straight up mark of 6-4 in these matchups.
Tar Heels vs Panthers Prediction
The Panthers is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 77-69. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Panthers at -3.5.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 154.5 and given that our model is projecting 146 points between the teams, we like 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:January 28, 2025 North Carolina Tar Heels, Pittsburgh Panthers