Notre Dame vs. North Carolina, 11/6/19 Prediction & Odds

Fighting Irish vs. Tar Heels Prediction

The ninth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will open their season tonight at home in Atlantic Coast Conference action versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Can UNC cover the double digit spread as the favorites?

Game Snapshot

705 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 706 North Carolina Tar Heels

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Dean E. Smith Center at 7PM ET

TV: ACC Network

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Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, North Carolina is a 10.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 152.5 points. As of Wednesday morning, 54 percent of public bets are being placed on visiting Notre Dame. Check out ourNCAA Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.

Mooney leads Irish again

Double-double machine John Mooney returns for his senior season after averaging 14-1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game last year. He had a monster game against the Tar Heels last season as he tallied 19 points and 16 rebounds that night. In all, Notre Dame returns seven of its top eight scorers from last season and could be primed for major improvements. TJ Gibbs (13.4 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Prentiss Hubb (8.1 ppg, 4.0 apg) are among the players in the backcourt the Fighting Irish need to take a big step forward. 

Tar Heels lose veteran core

North Carolina had one of the most experienced teams in the nation last season with veteran forwards Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson, but also lost two one-and-done players to the NBA. It all makes for an interesting time as the word rebuild does not really exist these days in major college basketball, but the turnover means it might take a while for it all to gel this season. Forward Garrison Brooks is the lone returning start for UNC and is primed to be one of the team's leaders, The recruiting class includes point guard Cole Anthony and big man Armando Bacot, who should both produce immediately. While the Tar Heels might be a notch behind the top teams in the country, the talent is there to compete with and beat anyone on any given night.

NCAA Basketball Trends

Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish are 2-5 ATS in their last seven Tuesday games. The road team is 2-6 ATS in the last eight meetings.

Notre Dame

The Tar Heels are 4-0 ATS in their last four ACC games. North Carolina is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games overall.

Prediction:

The Tar Heels are primed to have one of the best offenses in the country and Anthony has the potential to be one of the best players in the nation, but on opening night against a veteran Fighting Irish squad they might struggle to put it all together so quickly. The danger of having conference games scheduled this early is that the kinks can't be worked out. I expect the Notre Dame chemistry to be a little ahead of where UNC's is and that should make up for a talent difference.

 

NCAA BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH +10.5