The North Carolina Tar Heels (12-7) travel to face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-4) on Tuesday, January 21st. This game will be played at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem and televised on ESPN. Wake Forest is coming off a win in their previous game, while North Carolina is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Stanford. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Tar Heels Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

North Carolina’s season record dropped to 12-7 after a narrow 72-71 home loss to Stanford on Saturday. The Tar Heels were -11.5 point favorites but failed to cover the spread.

Leading 36-35 at halftime, North Carolina scored 35 points in the second half while allowing 37. The combined points of 143 fell short of the O/U line of 153.5.

The Demon Deacons Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Wake Forest Demon Deacons Recent Game/Games

Wake Forest improved to 14-4 on the season with a 72-63 road win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Demon Deacons entered the game as 4-point favorites and covered the spread with the victory.

Wake Forest led 31-29 at halftime and outscored the Hokies 41-34 in the second half. The total points for the game were 135, just under the O/U line of 137.5.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina put up 71 points in their last game, shooting 42.6% from the field and 27.8% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 48.1%, and they connected on 83.3% of their free throws, going 20-for-24 from the line.

Maxime Raynaud led the way with 25 points and 13 rebounds, despite shooting just 33.3% overall and 25.0% from deep. Jaylen Blakes added 20 points and 7 assists, shooting 53.8% from the floor, while RJ Davis contributed 19 points and 5 assists, hitting 3 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Demon Deacons Offense Breakdown

Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth were key contributors for Wake Forest in their last game, with Sallis putting up 24 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 58.8% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range. Hildreth added 21 points, shooting 53.8% overall.

Wake Forest shot 45.6% from the field as a team, with an effective field goal percentage of 50.9%, and connected on 31.6% of their three-point attempts. They hit 82.4% of their free throws, and finished with 8 assists and 6 offensive rebounds.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina’s defense gave up 72 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 42% from the field on 23 of 54 attempts. Inside the arc, they allowed 18 two-point field goals on 36 attempts, a 50% shooting rate.

From three-point range, North Carolina’s defense held the opposition to 5 of 18 shooting, or 27%. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 24 times, where they converted 20 for an 83% rate. North Carolina allowed 5 offensive rebounds in the game.

Demon Deacons Team Defense

North Carolina’s defense gave up 72 points, with their opponent shooting 42% from the field, hitting 23 of 54 attempts. Inside the arc, the Tar Heels allowed 18 two-pointers on 36 attempts, a 50% shooting rate.

From three-point range, North Carolina’s defense held their opponent to 5 made threes on 18 attempts, a 27% success rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 24 times, where they made 20, shooting 83%. The Tar Heels limited offensive rebounds, giving up just 5.

Tar Heels vs Demon Deacons Trends

• Across the Tar Heels last three road games, the team averaged 69 points per game while allowing 72. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 0-3, while going 2-1 straight-up.
• The Demon Deacons are 3-2 ATS in their last home games and 3-2 straight-up.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Wake Forest has an ATS mark of 1-4 while going 1-4 straight up.
• Over the team’s last three games as the favorite, the Tar Heels struggled vs the spread going just 1-2. However, they still had a straight up mark of 2-1.

Tar Heels vs Demon Deacons Prediction

Coming in as the underdogs at +1.5, we have the Demon Deacons as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 147.5 and our model has the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons finishing with a combined 145 points. Our pick is to take 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.