The Pittsburgh Panthers (21-10) travel to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (25-6) on Friday, March 15th. This game will be played at Capital One Arena in Washington and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.
Pittsburgh Panthers vs North Carolina Tar Heels
The Pittsburgh Panthers Are Coming Off A Win
Heading into their game against North Carolina, Pittsburgh is an underdog, as they are getting 7.5 points. On the season, the Panthers have a record of 21-10, including a 12-7 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Over their last three games, Pittsburgh has gone 3-0, and their average scoring margin on the road this year is +4.5. So far, they have gone 8-4 on the road.
As the underdog this season, Pittsburgh has gone 3-4-2 against the spread. Their overall ATS record is 19-8-3, and on the road, they are 8-2-2 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Panthers have a 4-4-2 ATS mark.
So far this season, the over/under record for Pittsburgh games is 18-11-1 and today’s line of 147.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (145.3). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 154 points and their OU record over their last 10 games is 6-3-1.
The North Carolina Tar Heels Are Coming Off A Win
North Carolina has been dominant at home this season, going 16-2 with an average scoring margin of +16.6 points per game. They have won four straight games at home and are 9-1 in their last 10 games at home.
On the season, North Carolina has been favored in 28 of their 31 games, going 23-5 as the favorite. They have a six-game winning streak and are coming off an 84-79 win over Duke.
North Carolina has an ATS record of 18-13 this season and they are 10-8 against the spread at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Tar Heels have gone 5-5 vs. the spread.
This season, the over/under record for North Carolina games is 15-16 and today’s over/under line of 147.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this season (152.7). In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 151 points.
Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown
Pittsburgh’s offense is coming off a strong performance vs. North Carolina State, finishing the game with a total of 81 points. Their season average is now 75.8 points per game. Leading the team in scoring is Blake Hinson, who is averaging 18.8 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Carlton Carrington also maintains a PPG average of 13.6 heading into game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Hinson (F) | 18.8 | 4.6 | 0.8 |
| Carlton Carrington (G) | 13.6 | 5.2 | 4.2 |
| Ishmael Leggett (G) | 11.9 | 5.5 | 2.1 |
North Carolina Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, North Carolina’s offense looked good, scoring 84 points against Duke. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 50% and made 15/18 free throws. The team’s top scorer is RJ Davis, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 21.1, while Armando Bacot also maintains a PPG average of 13.9 leading up to the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| RJ Davis (G) | 21.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Armando Bacot (F) | 13.9 | 10.1 | 1.6 |
| Harrison Ingram (F) | 12.5 | 9.3 | 2.2 |
Pittsburgh Team Defense
Pittsburgh’s defense has been playing well, ranking 63rd nationally, with 67.5 points allowed per game. Pittsburgh’s defense is coming off a game in which they allowed the North Carolina State offense to knock down 50% of their shots on their way to putting up 73 points.
North Carolina Team Defense
At present, the Tar Heels’ defense is nationally ranked 117th, allowing 70.1 points per game. The North Carolina defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 79 points and allowed Duke to connect on 9 threes.
Panthers vs Tar Heels Trends
- Pittsburgh has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 70 points per game while allowing 70. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-1-1.
- The Tar Heels are 2-1 ATS in their last three home games and 2-1 straight-up.
- Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Panthers have a straight up record of 4-6. Their record vs the spread in these games was 4-4-2.
- In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Tar Heels have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.
Panthers vs Tar Heels Prediction
In this Tar Heels vs. Tar Heels matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Tar Heels at -7.5. While we project the Tar Heels to win 75-69, our recommendation is to bet on the Panthers for the point-spread.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 147.5 and given that our model is projecting 144 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:March 15, 2024 North Carolina Tar Heels, Pittsburgh Panthers