The No. 15 Lipscomb Bisons (23-9) go head-to-head against the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels (25-10) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Spectrum Center. The game begins at 2:45 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, 2018.
North Carolina is a 19.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 159.5 points.
Lipscomb Bisons vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Free Prediction
The Bisons will be looking for similar success after topping the FGCU Eagles in the , 108-96. One of Lipscomb’s largest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They made 47 trips to the line, while FGCU went just 28 times. Lipscomb received a boost from Garrison Mathews, who was the team’s high scorer with 33 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
In the , the Tar Heels lost to the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers, 71-63. Virginia’s 6.3 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over North Carolina, who had a mark of 13.7. The Cavaliers’ mark was better than their season average of 12.7. With 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting, Luke Maye was the game’s high scorer.
Expect this one to be a clinic on boxing out as two of the nation’s top rebounding teams face off. The Tar Heels rank second in offensive rebounding percentage (38.4 percent), while Lipscomb ranks 20th in defensive rebounding percentage (76.3 percent). Also, the Bisons, who rank 24th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.294), will face a difficult test against the Tar Heels, who rank 14th in opponents’ FTA rate (0.176).
Lipscomb Bisons vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – North Carolina, ATS Winner – North Carolina, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Lipscomb averages 24.5 three pointers per game, which ranks 63rd in the NCAA. North Carolina ranks 290th in three pointers allowed per game (25.4).
The Bisons average 15.7 assists per game, which ranks 47th in the nation. The Tar Heels rank 221st in assists allowed per game (14.6).
North Carolina ranks first in rebounds per game (42.5) while Lipscomb ranks 169th in rebounds allowed per game (35.2).
The Tar Heels rank 52nd in blocks per game (4.3) while the Bisons rank 211th in blocks allowed per game (4.4).
North Carolina ranks 171st in steals per game (5.7) while Lipscomb ranks 202nd in steals allowed per game (7.0).
Bettings Trends:
The Bisons’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 11.0, up from 5.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Tar Heels have scored an average of 72.2 points per game (9.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.6 points per game (5.5 below their season average).
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