North Carolina has looked mighty impressive in its first two ACC tournament games. The Tar Heels took care of business in both games en route to double-digit victories. But UNC definitely won’t have it as easy when it faces No. 2-seed Virginia in the semifinals. The Hoos are finally back to full strength with the return of Justin Anderson, and will look to make it back-to-back trips to the ACC Championship final with another win over the Tar Heels.
Read on as we preview this titanic ACC semifinal showdown. And don’t forget to check out our preview of the other blockbuster semifinal, Notre Dame vs. Duke.
[sc:MarchMadness ]North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Virginia Cavaliers Preview
Where: Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro
When: Friday, March 13, 7:00 PM ET
Line: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Virginia Cavaliers – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels
Make that two double-digit wins for No. 5 North Carolina in its first two ACC tournament games. After thrashing Boston College, 81-63, on Wednesday, the Tar Heels took care of the No. 4-seeded Louisville Cardinals, 70-60, in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Brice Johnson led the way with 22 points against Louisville to continue his very impressive late-season run. The junior forward has scored 17 or more points in four of his last five games, and has grabbed seven-plus boards in five straight.
Meanwhile, Marcus Paige added 13 points and five assists. Finally healthy after some nagging injuries, Paige has also been on a good run of form. He’s averaging over 17 points per game in his last three games.
Johnson and Paige scored 14 and 15 points, respectively, in UNC’s 75-64 loss to Virginia in early February. North Carolina’s offense, which is No. 13 this season in adjusted offensive efficiency, fared relatively well against the Hoos’ excellent defense. The Tar Heels shot close to 45 percent from the floor, around 10 percentage points better than what Virginia allows on the season.
But the Tar Heels’ defense could be the decisive factor in sealing a semifinal spot. UNC struggled to contain Virginia in their earlier meeting, as the Hoos shot 51 percent from the floor. However, the Tar Heels showed some excellent defense in the quarterfinals. They locked down on Louisville’s offense, holding the Cards to a miserable 22 percent field goal shooting in the second half and 35 percent for the game.
Create a betting account now and be decisive with your picks in the very competitive ACC tournament.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia barely broke a sweat in its 58-44 quarterfinal win over Florida State. The Hoos ran out to a 16-2 advantage within the first five minutes of the game and built up a 17-point lead by halftime. As usual, their suffocating defense – one that ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (51.6) and field goal percentage allowed (38 percent) during ACC play – was the star of the show, as they held the Noles to 32.6 percent shooting from the field and 17.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Virginia’s offense hasn’t been particularly prolific over the last few games. It has now failed to top the 60-point mark in its last three matchups this March. However, the return of second-leading scorer Justin Anderson (12.8 points per game) could provide the Cavs with a much-needed offensive punch.
Anderson, who’s missed eight games due to a fractured finger and appendicitis, was scoreless in 12 minutes of play during their blowout win over Florida State. Anderson had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting in their regular season meeting with UNC. He was part of a very balanced Virginia attack which had four players score 13 or more points.
Virginia may need Anderson to provide a scoring punch against a potentially explosive UNC offense. But the Hoos should be confident of their ability to handle the Tar Heels’ interior-based attack. North Carolina is a poor three-point shooting team (just over four made threes per game), which should play well into the hands of Virginia’s “Pack-Line” defense that requires very good three point shooting to beat it.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia survives a spirited effort from the Tar Heels as the Hoos win and cover.
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