North Carolina vs Virginia Prediction: Can the Tar Heels Make One Last Postseason Push?

North Carolina vs Virginia Prediction: Can the Tar Heels Make One Last Postseason Push?

Has there ever been a preseason No. 1 ranked team that didn’t make March Madness? I can’t remember that happening in recent history. The Tarheels could potentially go from being up at halftime of the National Championship and being ranked preseason No. 1 to play in the NIT. Do they have one more late-season run in them?

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North Carolina vs Virginia Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: Saturday, February 25, 2023
• Start Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN

Click here for North Carolina vs Virginia odds

North Carolina vs Virginia Prediction

If North Carolina wants to sneak into the tournament, they have to win out in the regular season and probably a couple of ACC tourney wins as well. Tonight they welcome a struggling UVA team who couldn’t put up more than fifty points in their last game against Boston College. Before that, they barely beat Louisville and Notre Dame.

Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers seem to have lost some of their magic from earlier in the season. Once considered a high-powered offense (for UVA), Kihei Clark and Co. have been average at best, settling for bad shots and poor possessions.

UNC couldn’t ask for better circumstances while they go for their first Q1 win of the season. They are at home which is huge, and although UVA is ranked No. 6 in the country, they aren’t playing like it. Armando Bacot has the opportunity to dominate in the paint tonight against the Cavaliers’ soft bigs. Leaky Black is the best defender in the nation. He will eliminate Jayden Gardner from this game, just like he did when Gardner has three points in January. UNC almost won that game in Charlottesville. Now the Tarheels are coming off a win and ready to take a crack at a reeling top-ten team.

There hasn’t been a more profitable betting system in college basketball than the unranked home favorite against a ranked team. If you don’t include Miami, this trend is 30-10 ATS on the year. UNC opened up as a 1.5-point favorite and has since been streamed to -3 in most places. Give me the Tarheels to pull out the win at home against a Cavaliers team that’s lost their mojo.

North Carolina vs Virginia Pick

North Carolina ML (-150) Bet $100 to collect $166 Get the best odds at DraftKings, click here to bet

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