The No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels still have a shot at winning the ACC regular season title, but they don’t have too big of a room for error, as the Virginia Cavaliers own the advantage in case of a tie. As for the Tigers, they are looking to victimize an elite opponent in North Carolina to strengthen their bid for a spot in the national tournament. The Tar Heels are +700 to win it all, while Clemson is +50,000 to pull off that feat.
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Betting Preview for the North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Clemson Tigers College Basketball Game on March 2, 2019
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson
When: Saturday, March 2, 2019, 6:00 PM ET
Line: North Carolina Tar Heels (odds) vs. Clemson Tigers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (23-5 Overall / 13-2 Conference)
On the day that their bitter rivals suffered an upset loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Tar Heels they were not going to suffer the same fate as Duke last Tuesday by defeating the visiting Syracuse Orange in Chapel Hill, 93-85. That win extended North Carolina’s winning streak to four games. The Tar Heels have also gone 11-1 SU in their last 12 games, so they are a team that’s coming to this Saturday’s showdown with Clemson brimming with confidence. Confidence is definitely flowing in the veins of Tar Heels freshman guard Coby White, who sizzled with 34 points in the Syracuse game. He went 9-for-14 from the field and hit six treys. He is averaging 15.9 points per game this season, while the Tar Heels, as a team, is putting up 87.3 per contest – second most in the nation.
North Carolina is 13-7 against the spread (ATS) in games after a win this season. The Tar Heels are also 7-0 ATS as a road favorite.
Betting on the Clemson Tigers (17-11 Overall / 7-8 Conference)
Clemson is trying to sustain its momentum, having won two of its last two games. The Tigers beat the Boston College Eagles at home (76-66) last Saturday and the Pittsburgh Panthers on the road (62-48) on Wednesday. Neither of those opponents, however, ranked better than 91 on KenPom, so North Carolina, which ranks fifth, is going to be an entirely different and supposedly bigger challenge for Brad Brownell’s boys. Defense is the key for a Tigers’ upset win against North Carolina. Clemson has one of the best defenses in the ACC, ranking second in the league in defensive efficiency with only 98.0 points per 100 possessions allowed. Clemson provides excellent interior defense, as it is sixth in the league in defensive block percentage, while allowing ACC opponents shoot just 43.5 percent from inside the arc.
The over is 2-0 in Clemson’s last two home games. The Tigers are 8-8 ATS after a win so far this season.
Writer’s Prediction
North Carolina wins, 76-71.
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