Tennessee Volunteers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Preview
Where: Dean E. Smith Center – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
When: Sunday, December 11, 5:00 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Volunteers (TBA) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (TBA) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Tennessee Volunteers (TBA)
Tennessee extended its winning streak to three games with a comprehensive 90-50 victory over Presbyterian on Wednesday. Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden combined for 45 points for the Volunteers whose record is now over .500 for the first time this season. Things are bound to get tougher, though, for the Vols as standing in their way in their next game are the mighty North Carolina Tar Heels. This will be the first time since 2011 that Tennessee will face a Top 10 opponent in a non-conference game. To make their task even harder, the Vols will be playing the Tar Heels in their first true road game of the season.
For the Vols to record a major upset, they will need to heat up once again from the perimeter. They tied a school record with 16 made 3-point baskets in the win against Presbyterian. Turner and Bowden were sizzling from beyond the arc, going a combined 12-of-21 from the three-point area. That offensive explosion enabled the freshman duo to post their highest point totals of the season. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a North Carolina defense that’s 78th in the nation in 3-point defense, with opponents shooting at a high 31.0 percent clip from deep.
It’s also paramount for the Vols that they ramp up the pressure on the defensive end against the Tar Heels. They forced Presbyterian to commit a whopping 22 turnovers on Wednesday, with 13 of those miscues in the second half. Tennessee made Presbyterian pay for that sloppy play, outscoring them in second chance points, 31-2.
Tennessee is 3-0 ATS on the road this season.
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (TBA)
North Carolina will look to stretch their unbeaten run to three games when they lock horns with Tennessee this coming Sunday. The Tar Heels looked far from impressive in their recent 83-74 win over Davidson which saw them shoot just 38 percent from the field. The Tar Heels struggled to find a rhythm with top point guard Joel Berry II sidelined by a sprained left ankle with Justin Jackson doing the heavy lifting on the offensive end. He matched his career high against Davidson with 27 points as he hit a career-best seven 3-pointers.
With Berry a major doubt for Sunday’s clash against Tennessee, the onus is on Jackson to carry once again the scoring cudgels for North Carolina. He has undoubtedly stepped up his perimeter game, already knocking down 22 baskets from 3-point range this season. Jackson will look to pour it on against a Tennessee side that’s 201st in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 72.6 points per contest this campaign.
The Tar Heels will fancy their chances of grabbing the victory this Sunday as they have fared extremely well against the Vols in the past. North Carolina leads the series 8-1, although this will be the first meeting between the two sides in Chapel Hill since 1948 in Woollen Gym. Look for North Carolina to run riot against Tennessee in their first-ever clash here at Dean E. Smith Center.
The Tar Heels are 5-1 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
North Carolina not only wins but also covers the spread against Tennessee.
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