The nation’s top team will be on the road when the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins (6-0) head to Dean E. Smith Center to take on the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-1). Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Tar Heels were victorious over Kansas State 80-70 the last time they played. Justin Jackson was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting. The Terrapins, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-63 win over Cleveland State in their last game. Robert Carter led the team in scoring with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
North Carolina, a seven-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Maryland. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 150 points. The Tar Heels come into this game 5-1 Straight Up (SU) and 2-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The rebounding edge goes to the Tar Heels in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 43.0 boards per game. The Tar Heels, sporting the 14th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.72), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, Maryland has a SU record of 6-0 and an ATS record of 2-4.
This is the first meeting of the season for North Carolina and Maryland. The last time they played, North Carolina came out on top, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over the Terrapins. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, North Carolina has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNC, ATS Winner – MD, O/U – Over
Notes
North Carolina is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
North Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
North Carolina is 5-10-2 ATS in its last 17 games at home.
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina’s last 6 games at home.
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Maryland.
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Maryland.
The North Carolina Tar Heels average 81.3 points per game, ranking 69th in the nation. The Maryland Terrapins rank 39th in points allowed with 62.8.
Ranked 58th, the North Carolina Tar Heels have an offensive rating of 115.5. The Maryland Terrapins rank 107th with a defensive rating of just 96.9.
The North Carolina Tar Heels average 70.4 possessions per game and 1.155 points per possession, while the Maryland Terrapins earn fewer possessions (65.0) but more points per possession (1.187).
The North Carolina Tar Heels average an effective field goal percentage of 52.8% this season. The Maryland Terrapins are a perfect 2-0 in games where opponents have an eFG% of 52.8% or greater.
The North Carolina Tar Heels rank 19th in assists per game with an average of 18.3. The Maryland Terrapins are among the worst in the country with 14.2 assists per game (ranked 148th).
North Carolina ranks 80th in blocks per game with 4.7 and Maryland ranks 64th with 4.8 blocks per game.
Maryland ranks 319th in offensive rebounds, while North Carolina ranks at 20th in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 17.0% when playing North Carolina this season. Maryland is undefeated (5-0) when its TO% is 17.0% or higher.
