Virginia vs. North Carolina NCAAB Preview
Where: Dean E. Smith Center – Chapel Hill, NC
When: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 8:15 PM ET
Line: Virginia Cavaliers at North Carolina Tar Heels – view all NCAA basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Writer’s Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels
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Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (18-7, 8-5 ACC)
It might be time to get a little worried about Virginia. The Hoos have now dropped three of their last four games after their 65-55 home loss to Duke on Wednesday. London Perrantes had 14 points as the Hoos struggled mightily to get anything going offensively. They shot just 37 percent from the field and 5-of-20 from beyond the arc.
After starting out 16-3, Virginia is now just 2-4 in its last six games. However, it could easily get much worse for the Hoos as they go out on the road to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. Not only is Virginia 0-3 in its last three on the road, it’s also had a horrific record in Chapel Hill over the years. They’re just 4-16 in their last 20 visits.
The Virginia offense has simply been unable to sustain consistent production over the full 40 minutes. They’ve failed to exceed 30 points in the second half in their previous four losses. It’ll take a huge performance from someone else other than Perrantes for them to topple the Tar Heels on the road, but it’s hard to see exactly where that type of performance can come from.
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (22-5, 10-3 ACC)
North Carolina bounced back from its 86-78 loss to Duke in a big way by blowing out another rival in North Carolina State. The Tar Heels dominated almost from the opening tip. They shot 56 percent from the floor, and outrebounded the Wolfpack, 41-25. Joel Berry led the team with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while senior Kennedy Meeks added 17 points and 8 rebounds.
North Carolina will now go back home, where they are a perfect 6-0 during conference play. However, they have failed to cover their last two home games in close wins over Pitt (80-78) and Notre Dame (83-76).
As mentioned earlier, North Carolina has historically been close to unbeatable against Virginia at home, and the Tar Heels have a very good chance of extending that impressive streak further against a reeling Hoos team.
With Malcolm Brogdon gone, the Virginia defense has been unable to shut down opposing wings quite as well. Duke freshman Jayson Tatum was the latest to go off on the Hoos, as he went for a career-high 28 points. UNC swingman Justin Jackson is capable of similar domination. He’s averaging 19.6 points in conference play, but has bumped that up to 24 points in six games against ranked opposition.
Writer’s Prediction
North Carolina adds to Virginia’s woes as the Tar Heels score a 71-64 home win.
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