The Pittsburgh Panthers (-4.5) are heading south to battle their in-conference rival North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium. This afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 12:20 p.m. ET and ACC Network will broadcast the action.
Pittsburgh Panthers at North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview
North Carolina is entering this ACC matchup as the underdog and is currently being given 4.5 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to lay down $200 to win $100 back on the Panthers (-200). The Tar Heels are getting +170 moneyline odds. If one school can find paydirt early it will create a reasonable betting opportunity in-game. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 47.5 points.
The opening line was 4. The game’s over/under has yet to move after it was initially set at 47.5.
The Panthers are 1-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.6 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an Over-Under record of 1-1. The underwhelming Tar Heels have lost 9.4 units this season. They’re 0-1-1 ATS and also have an O/U record of 1-1.
The Panthers are 2-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Tar Heels are 0-2 SU overall and 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Panthers just put together a 24-19 victory over Georgia Tech last week where Kenny Pickett completed 16-of-23 passes for 197 yards and one interception. Qadree Ollison (91 yards on 17 rush attempts, two TDs) led the running attack in the win while Rafael Araujo-Lopes (six receptions, 45 yards) and Taysir Mack (four catches, 95 yards) handled the receiving duties.
A couple of weeks ago, East Carolina knocked off this North Carolina team by a score of 41-19. The Heels defense let the Pirates eat up the clock by rushing for 220 yards on 49 attempts, including four rush TDs. Anthony Scott had a solid showing, recording 73 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts for East Carolina. As a group, the Heels collectively completed 25-of-44 passes for 234 yards. Nathan Elliott went 22-for-38 for 219 yards while Cade Fortin was three-of-six for 15 yards. Jordon Brown (59 rushing yards on 13 attempts, one TD) and Antonio Williams (96 yards on six carries) handled the ground game in the defeat while Thomas Jackson (four receptions, 14 yards) and Anthony Ratliff-Williams (four catches, 84 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Pittsburgh has run the ball on 65.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while North Carolina has an overall rush percentage of 44.4 percent. The Panthers have rushed for 207 yards per game and have six scores via handoffs this year. The Heels are logging 163 rushing yards per game and have two total rush TDs.
The Panthers offensive scheme has tallied 140 yards per game in the air overall and has two passing TDs so far. The Heels have recorded 186 pass yards per outing and have just one pass scores.
Pittsburgh should hold an edge when it comes to limiting the pass. The team’s allowed opponents to rush for an average of 197 yards and throw for 169 yards per game. The North Carolina defense has allowed 204.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 190.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Panthers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.93 to opponents, while the Heels have given up a 5.80 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pickett has amassed 351 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 32-of-45 attempts with two passing scores and two interceptions. He has a 6.69 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 2.91 over the past two outings.
Nathan Elliott has completed 22-of-38 passes for 219 yards, zero TDs and zero INTs for North Carolina. His ANY/A sits at 5.76 for the year and 2.68 over his past two games.
These two teams met last year with the final result being a 34-31 victory for North Carolina.
Free Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers at North Carolina Tar Heels
SU Winner – Pittsburgh, ATS Winner – Pittsburgh, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Pittsburgh defensive unit has seven sacks on the year while North Carolina has six.
North Carolina has lost zero fumbles in 2018 while Pittsburgh has lost three.
The Panthers offense has registered two pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Tar Heels have accounted for one such play.
The Pittsburgh defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while North Carolina has given up zero such plays.
Both defenses have produced four rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Pittsburgh offense has recorded 16 running plays of 10+ yards while North Carolina has accounted for nine such plays.
The Panthers defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Tar Heels have given up three such runs.
North Carolina was the underdog by 15 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was set at 59. The over cashed and North Carolina did not cover in the team’s 41-19 loss to East Carolina.
Pittsburgh was getting 4 points in its last game and the O/U going into it was 54. The under cashed and Pittsburgh covered in the 24-19 win over Georgia Tech.
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