The undefeated No. 1-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0) look to extend their hot start when they match up with the Northern Iowa Panthers (1-1) at McLeod Center. The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Nov. 21.
The Panthers come into this game on a high note after topping Stephen F. Austin 70-60 on Tuesday. Matt Bohannon was the team’s leading scorer with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. The Tar Heels are coming off a 78-58 win over Wofford on Wednesday. Brice Johnson had a good performance and claimed his third double-double of the season, accounting for 16 points and 14 rebounds.
North Carolina takes on Northern Iowa as a six-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 147 points. The Panthers enter the game with records of 1-1 both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). The Panthers are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a superb .800 from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Tar Heels have 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS records. The Tar Heels convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking 44th in the country at .508. The Tar Heels are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 45.3 rebounds per game. The Tar Heels are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 34th in Division I at 1.68.
Northern Iowa and North Carolina will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNC, ATS Winner – NoIa, O/U – Over
Notes
Northern Iowa is 21-3 SU in its last 24 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Northern Iowa’s last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northern Iowa’s last 6 games at home.
North Carolina averages 87.0 points per game (ranked 57th). Northern Iowa, on the other hand, allows 72.0 points per game (ranked 194th).
Ranked 50th, the North Carolina Tar Heels have an offensive rating of 119.4. The Northern Iowa Panthers rank 198th with a defensive rating of just 101.3.
The North Carolina Tar Heels average an effective field goal percentage of 54.9% this season. The Northern Iowa Panthers are a winless 0-1 when opponents have an eFG% of 54.9% or greater.
Northern Iowa attempts an average of 23.0 three pointers per game and North Carolina attempts 14.0 on average. When the teams attempt at least 20 three pointers, the Northern Iowa Panthers are winless (0-1) while the North Carolina Tar Heels are undefeated (1-0).
North Carolina ranks 34th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.68. Northern Iowa is ranked lower at 219th with an A/TO of .93.
North Carolina, the 42nd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 45.3 rebounds per game. Northern Iowa does worse, ranked 291st with 33.5.
Northern Iowa ranks 96th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, North Carolina ranks 97th.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 13.9% when playing Northern Iowa this season. North Carolina is undefeated (1-0) when its TO% is 13.9% or higher.
