The North Carolina Tar Heels (14-11) travel to face off against the Syracuse Orange (11-14) on Saturday, February 15th. This game will be played at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse and televised on ESPN. Both North Carolina and Syracuse will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 ET.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Syracuse Orange

The Tar Heels Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

North Carolina Tar Heels Recent Game/Games

North Carolina’s season record dropped to 14-11 after an 85-65 road loss to Clemson on Monday. The Tar Heels entered the game as +4 underdogs and failed to cover the spread.

UNC trailed 49-33 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap, scoring 32 points in the 2nd half while allowing 36. The game’s total points of 150 exceeded the O/U line of 144.5.

The Orange Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Syracuse Orange Recent Game/Games

Syracuse’s season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 11-14 after a 91-84 loss to Miami on Tuesday. The Orange, who were +2.5 underdogs, didn’t cover the spread in this one.

After trailing 43-37 at the half, Syracuse put up 47 points in the 2nd half but couldn’t stop Miami, who scored 48. The total points for the game hit 175, well over the O/U line of 150.5.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 4 of 19 threes for a 21.1% shooting percentage. Their overall field goal percentage was 45.2%, with an effective field goal percentage of 48.4%. Inside the arc, they were more successful, shooting 55.8% on two-point attempts.

The Tar Heels also had a tough time at the free-throw line, making only 5 of 11 attempts for a 45.5% shooting percentage. They grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and dished out 13 assists in the game.

Orange Offense Breakdown

Syracuse put up 84 points in their last game, shooting 45.5% from the field and hitting 38.1% from beyond the arc. They were nearly perfect from the free-throw line, connecting on 16 of 17 attempts for a 94.1% success rate. The Orange dished out 19 assists and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, finishing with an effective field goal percentage of 51.5%.

Matthew Cleveland led the way with 32 points, shooting 76.9% from the field and 50% from three. Eddie Lampkin added 22 points and 13 rebounds, while J.J. Starling contributed 25 points despite shooting just 38.1% overall and 16.7% from deep. Jalil Bethea was efficient, hitting 75% of his shots, including 3 of 4 from three-point range.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 85 points on 50% shooting from the field. They allowed their opponent to hit 51% of their two-point attempts, going 20/39.

From beyond the arc, the Tar Heels gave up 12 threes on 25 attempts, a 48% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the line 12 times, where they converted 9 free throws. North Carolina allowed 15 offensive rebounds.

Orange Team Defense

North Carolina struggled defensively, giving up 85 points while allowing their opponent to shoot 50% from the field. The Tar Heels couldn’t contain the two-point shooting, as the other team went 20/39 for 51%.

From beyond the arc, North Carolina allowed 12 threes on 25 attempts, a 48% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 12 times, where they converted 9 for 75%. The Tar Heels gave up 15 offensive rebounds.

Tar Heels vs Orange Trends

• Across the Tar Heels last ten road games, the team averaged 72 points per game while allowing 76. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 3-6-1, while going 4-6 straight-up.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Syracuse has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last three games as the underdog, the Orange have a straight up record of 1-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 1-2.
• Over the team’s last five games as the favorite, the Tar Heels struggled vs the spread going just 1-4. However, they still had a straight up mark of 4-1.

Tar Heels vs Orange Prediction

The Orange come in as the underdog at +6.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 154.5, and our model predicts the Tar Heels and Orange to score a combined 145 points. We recommend betting on the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.