Charleston Southern vs North Carolina Odds
| Charleston Southern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+32.5 -110 | 151.5 -110o / -110u | OFF |
| North Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-32.5 -110 | 151.5 -110o / -110u | OFF |
North Carolina's season gets back underway on Friday against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.
North Carolina has gotten off to a great start this year, with eight wins through its first 13 games. The Heels just completed a gauntlet portion of their schedule, facing seven consecutive top-100 opponents and going 4-3 during that stretch.
Carolina has a balanced attack, as it ranks 10th in the country in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 41st defensively. The Heels play at the 33rd-fastest tempo in college basketball.
They have veteran talents in RJ Davis and Armando Bacot, they have an emerging freshman star in Elliot Cadeau and they have talented transfers flanking them on the wings in Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan.
Charleston Southern is the weakest opponent North Carolina has faced yet this season. The Buccaneers currently rank 338th in the country on KenPom, and this is the first team UNC has faced that's ranked in the 300s.
Carolina took care of business against the few lower-rated teams it's faced, beating Lehigh by 22 points and UC Riverside by 25 points.
It won't be easy for Charleston Southern in this one, but in the first game back after the holidays, anything can happen.
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
Charleston Southern enters this game with just four wins in 12 games. Only one of those four wins came against a Division I opponent — a two-point win over South Carolina State in early December.
The Bucs are playing better basketball of late, losing games against quality opponents by less than they did earlier in the season. They lost by just four points at South Carolina two weeks ago in one of their best performances of the year.
Charleston Southern plays slow — which bodes well in a game against a more talented opponent — but it doesn't have many strengths on either side of the ball.
The thing the Bucs do best is limit 3-point attempts from opposing offenses, as they rank 14th in the country in 3-point rate allowed.
That could pose some problems for a North Carolina offense that shoots well from 3 but doesn't attempt a ton of shots from outside.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels will be licking their chops at the chance to play an opponent that they can easily out-talent. They just completed one of the most difficult stretches of games that any team in college basketball will face this season, taking on seven consecutive top-100 teams since Thanksgiving, with five of those seven games coming against top-25 opponents.
The Heels are battle-tested, but they've mostly responded well against out-matched teams. All four of their games versus non-top-100 opponents resulted in comfortable Carolina wins, with the average margin of victory coming by 21.3 points.
The one area where North Carolina can be exploited is on the defensive side, where the Heels are just good, not great (41st in Defensive Efficiency). 44% of their opponents' shots come off of assists, and teams with talented guards can exploit openings in the Carolina defense.
Charleston Southern vs. North Carolina
Betting Pick & Prediction
Unfortunately for Charleston Southern, it won't have many answers here.
North Carolina's trend of dominating bad teams should continue.
Take the Heels to cover.
Pick: North Carolina -31.5
In Q1 2024, North Carolina sports betting fans will be able to bet the Tar Heel games at NC legal sportsbooks. Get the latest news.
