The No. 15 North Carolina Tar Heels (16-4, 5-2 ACC) travel to Virginia Tech to play the Hokies (13-6, 2-4 ACC) in what should be a high-scoring game. The game can be seen on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, January 22, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 162.5 points with North Carolina opening as a 5-point favorite.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Virginia Tech Hokies ATS Prediction
The Tar Heels come in on a high note after topping the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their last game, 80-66. The Tar Heels made 19 of their 24 free throws (79.2 percent) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 50.0 (above their season average of 37.4). With 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, Luke Maye led North Carolina in scoring.
In the Hokies’ last game, they were beaten by the Florida State Seminoles, 91-82. One of Florida State’s largest advantages was getting to the charity stripe. They had 26 free throw attempts, while Virginia Tech had 15. With 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting, Justin Robinson was the game’s high scorer.
It might turn into a high-scoring affair as two of the NCAA’s top offenses go head-to-head. Virginia Tech currently ranks 19th with 117.1 points per 100 possessions and North Carolina is 40th (113.6).
North Carolina comes into the game with records of 16-4 straight up (SU) and 9-7-3 against the spread (ATS). Of the Tar Heels’ 19 games with betting action, 10 have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech owns records of 13-6 SU and 8-7 ATS. Vegas is known to set the total low when the Hokies are involved, as 10 of their 19 games have gone over the total.
After the Tar Heels won the only game against the Hokies last season, 91-72, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. North Carolina’s rebounding was their largest strength. The Tar Heels had 19 offensive rebounds and 43 total rebounds, while the Hokies had four and 22, respectively.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Virginia Tech Hokies Odds Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – North Carolina, ATS Winner – North Carolina, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
North Carolina is 4-5-1 ATS on the road with 7 unders and 3 overs.
At home, Virginia Tech is 5-3 ATS with 5 overs and 2 unders.
North Carolina ranks second in rebounds per game (43.5) while Virginia Tech ranks 194th (34.6).
The Hokies average 17.5 assists per game, which ranks 19th in the NCAA. The Tar Heels rank 185th in assists allowed per game (14.7).
Virginia Tech averages 22.3 three pointers per game, which ranks 129th in the nation. North Carolina ranks 265th in three pointers allowed per game (26.7).
The Tar Heels average 4.2 blocks per game, which ranks 59th in the NCAA. The Hokies rank 99th in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, North Carolina is 1-2-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Virginia Tech is 1-4 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Tar Heels’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.2, down from 11.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Hokies have scored an average of 76.8 points per game (8.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 81.0 points per game (8.0 above their season average).
