Iona Gaels vs. North Carolina Tar Heels 3/22/19, Prediction & Odds

Gaels vs. Tar Heels Prediction

The top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels have national title hopes and will start their quest tonight versus the 16th-seeded Iona Gaels. Is North Carolina a good bet to cover the big spread?

Game Snapshot

809 Iona Gaels vs. 810 North Carolina Tar Heels

Friday, March 22, 2019

Nationwide Arena at 9:20PM ET

TV: TNT

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

 

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Tar Heels are listed as a 22-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 166.5 points. As of Friday morning, 72 percent of public bets are coming in on North Carolina. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date info.

Gaels run win streak to 10

Iona defeated Monmouth by a score of 81-60 11 days ago to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament for a fourth straight season. The Gaels (17-15) outscored the Hawks 45-30 in teh second half to pull away. Iona shot 24-of-52 from the floor, 12-of-29 from 3-point distance plus 21-of-25 at the charity stripe. Asante Gist paced the Gaels with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting including 5-of-9 from 3-point range plus 5-of-5 at the free throw line. He also dished out four assists. Tajuan Agee contributed 18 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists. E.J. Crawford tallied 15 points, six caroms and three assists. Ben Perez accounted for 14 points, five rebounds and five steals. Rickey McGee added 10 points, four boards, three dimes and three steals.

Tar Heels edged by rivals

North Carolina was unable to defeat Duke for a third straight time this season as it missed at the buzzer in a 74-73 loss in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game. The Tar Heels (27-6) were outscored 30-29 in the second half of a game that was close throughout. North Carolina shot 29-of-73 from the field, 4-of-27 from 3-point distance plus 11-of-15 at the free throw line. Cameron Johnson paced the Tar Heels with 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting including 2-of-7 from 3-point range plus 5-of-5 at the charity stripe. He also notched five rebounds. Luke Maye accounted for 14 points, 13 boards and two assists. Coby White added 11 points five caroms, four dimes and three steals.

College Basketball Betting Trends

Iona

The Gaels are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games overall. Iona is 5-2 ATS in its last seven Friday games.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five NCAA Tournament games. North Carolina is 4-0 ATS in its last four Friday games.

Prediction:

Iona plays fast and can score, but that might work to its detriment against the Tar Heels. North Carolina is going to treat the Gaels' defense like swiss cheese and as soon as Iona goes cold on offense, watch the Tar Heels run away with it. Let's also not forget UNC had a very strong defense this season, which was overshadowed by its offense a lot of the time but was evident in its biggest wins. Iona's best win this season came against Hartford. Let that sink in.

 

NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS -22