North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Louisville Cardinals, 2/22/20 Prediction & Odds

Tar Heels vs. Cardinals Prediction

A dismal season for the North Carolina Tar Heels continues this afternoon with a tough road test at the 11th-ranked Louisville Cardinals. Can North Carolina stay within the number on the spread line?

Game Snapshot

719 North Carolina Tar Heels at 720 North Carolina Tar Heels

Saturday, February 22, 2020 

KFC Yum! Center at 4PM ET

TV: ESPN

Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our NCAA Basketball Odds & Betting Page

 

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, the Cardinals are a 9-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 145 points. As of Saturday morning, 51 percent of public bets are siding with host Louisville. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.

Tar Heels drop sixth straight

North Carolina gave up a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining Monday night in a 77-76 defeat at Notre Dame. The Tar Heels (10-16, 3-13 Atlantic Coast Conference) outscored the Fighting Irish 43-41 in the second half but still fell in the end. Cole Anthony paced UNC with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting including 3-of-8 from 3-point plus 6-of-6 at the free throw line. He also posted six assists and three rebounds. Garrison Brooks tallied 22 points, seven boards and five dimes. Brandon Robinson added 11 points, three caroms and two assists.

Cardinals crush Orange

Louisville rolled to a 90-66 home win Wednesday night over Syracuse to improve to 22-5 overall and 13-3 in the ACC. The Cardinals outscored the Orange 49-32 in the second half to pull away. Jordan Nwora paced Louisville with 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting including 2-of-7 from 3-point range plus 5-of-7 at the charity stripe. He also recorded seven rebounds and three assists. Dwayne Sutton tallied 16 points, eight boards and five dimes. Malik Williams accounted for 14 points and 13 caroms. Ryan McMahon tallied 13 points and four assists. Steven Enoch registered 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.

College Basketball Betting Trends

North Carolina

The underdog is 1-7 ATS in the last eight meetings. The Tar Heels are 16-7 ATS in its last 23 road games.

Louisville

The Cardinals are 1-3 ATS in the last four meetings. Louisville is 65-43 ATS in its last 108 games versus a team with a losing record.

Prediction:

With how the Tar Heels' season has gone, I'm very surprised this spread is not wider. Louisville bounced back from a rough patch with a convincing win over Syracuse and its defense today should give fits to an inconsistent UNC offense. North Carolina has lost some close games lately, but I see this one more as a one-sided affair.

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS -9