Orange vs. Tar Heels Prediction
The fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels have won each of their last three games by at least 16 points. Can UNC dominate another foe at home tonight when it faces the Syracuse Orange?
Game Snapshot
623 Syracuse Orange at 624 North Carolina Tar Heels
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Dean E. Smith Center at 9PM ET
TV: ACCNE
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Tar Heels are a 12-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 147 points. As of Tuesday morning, 53 percent of public bets are coming in on host North Carolina. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.
Orange falter versus Blue Devils
Syracuse struggled in the second half Saturday night in a 75-65 loss at home versus Duke to drop to 18-9 overall and 9-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Orange led 34-29 at halftime before stumbling after the break. Syracuse shot 24-of-70 from the floor, 5-of-23 from 3-point range plus 12-of-19 at the free throw line. Tyus Battle led the Orange with 16 points on 4-of-17 shooting including 2-of-4 from 3-point range plus 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down three rebounds. Elijah Hughes tallied 12 points and seven boards. Frank Howard had 10 points, six caroms, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Marek Dolezaj added 10 points, five rebounds and three steals off the bench.
Tar Heels cruise past Seminoles
North Carolina earned a 77-59 home win Saturday over Florida State to improve to 22-5 overall and 12-2 in the ACC. The Tar Heels outscored the Seminoles 40-25 in the second half after leading by three at the break. Cameron Johnson led UNC with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting including 3-of-4 from 3-point range plus 3-of-4 at the free throw line. He also contributed 10 rebounds. Luke Maye recorded 15 points and 11 boards. Coby White added 10 points and four assists. North Carolina shot 26-of-61 from the floor, 7-of-20 on 3-point tries and 18-of-25 at the free throw line.
Syracuse
The Orange are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games overall. Syracuse is 5-2 ATS in its last seven road games.
North Carolina
The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings. The favorite is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
Prediction:
This could be a bit of a letdown spot for the Tar Heels as they have just dispatched two ranked opponents and now face a team outside the top 25 that requires full attention due to their outstanding zone defense. Syracuse is ranked 16th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and I think it gets enough stops here to make a game of it and cover the spread.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: SYRACUSE ORANGE +12