Wildcats vs. Tar Heels Prediction
The 14th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels haven’t lost at home during the non-conference season heading into today’s matchup with the Davidson Wildcats. Is North Carolina the right play or will Davidson keep it close enough to cover the spread?
Game Snapshot
609 Davidson Wildcats at 610 North Carolina Tar Heels
Saturday, December 28, 2018
Dean E. Smith Center at 12PM ET
TV: ESPN2
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Tar Heels are listed as a 14.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 160.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 67 percent of public bets are being placed on visiting Davidson. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Wildcats hammer Central Pennsylvania College
Davidson dominated the Knights at home last Saturday to the tune of 88-54 to improve to 9-3 on the season. The Wildcats led 47-21 at halftime in the rout. Luka Brajkovic led a balanced scoring effort with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists. Luke Frampton tallied 12 points, three assists and two rebounds. Carter Collins had 12 points, nine boards, three assists and two steals. Bates Jones contributed 12 points, seven caroms and three dimes off the bench. David Czerapowicz recorded 12 points and four rebounds as a reserve. Jon Axel Gudmundsson accounted for 10 points, five boards, four assists and three steals. Davidson shot an even 36 of-72 from the floor including 11-of-37 from 3-point range plus 5-of-9 at the free throw line.
Tar Heels fall to Kentucky
North Carolina had a rough first half last Saturday in an 80-72 loss to Kentucky as it dropped to 8-3 on the season. Cameron Johnson paced the Tar Heels with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had four rebounds and dished out two assists. Luke Maye contributed 16 points, six boards and two steals. Kenny Williams added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. North Carolina shot 27-of-63 from the floor including 7-of-18 from beyond the 3-point arc and 11-of-16 from the charity stripe.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Davidson
The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five Saturday games. Davidson is 5-2 ATS in its last seven non-conference games.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss. The under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
Prediction:
North Carolina hasn’t lost at home yet and even has a victory over Gonzaga, so while a lot of bettors are leaning toward Davidson I am instead finding value in the hosts. That 103-90 win over Gonzaga was even the closest of the five home wins by the Tar Heels. Davidson is a top-100 team, but struggled against Purdue on a neutral site and UNC is full of veteran talent. Go with the home team to cover.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS -14.5