The ACC tournament is underway, and basketball fans are already on the edge of their seats. One of the most exciting games in the early stages of the tournament is the matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Boston College Eagles. Let’s breakdown the game and take a look at the odds, and our picks for the contest.
- đź“Š Records: North Carolina (19-12) vs Boston College (16-16)
- đź“… Date: March 8, 2023
- đź•› Time: 7:00 pm ET
- đź“ş TV Channel: ESPN2
- 🏟 Venue: Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, North Carolina
- 🎲 ACC Tournament Second Round Spread: UNC -9.5 | Boston College +9.5
Tough Test for BC Against Heavily Favored Tar Heels
Boston College progressed to the second round by beating Louisville 80-62 on Tuesday, but now they face a tough challenge in the form of the seventh-seeded Tar Heels. Let’s take a closer look at why we’re picking UNC to beat Boston College on the spread in this matchup.
This is a 10 versus 7 matchup, with UNC being the higher seed. The Tar Heels are currently favored by top US sportsbooks, including BetOnline, by 9.5 points. This suggests that the oddsmakers are confident in UNC’s ability to come out on top in this game.
UNC is on the bubble according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, which means they need a win here to secure their spot in the upcoming March Madness tournament. This is the same UNC team that made it to the national championship game last year, and they won’t want to be considered a bubble team this time around.
Bacot the Key Again
In their last meeting in January, UNC beat Boston College 72-64, and we expect them to do so again, even under tournament pressure. They’ll be licking their wounds after a defeat to their arch-rivals, Duke, but we all know the saying – beware the wounded animal. UNC is playing much better now than they were in January, and they were preseason number-one for a reason.
Boston College 64, UNC 72 – Final@UNC_Basketball defeats Boston College at home by 8. The Tar Heels hold the Eagles without a 3 and Bacot is a double-double machine. UNC is now 5-3 in the ACC.
Bacot – 20 pts, 16 reb
— Backyard Catch (@BackyardCatch) January 18, 2023
One of the reasons we’re picking UNC to cover the spread in this game is because we don’t think Boston College will have an answer for Armando Bacot. The big man got 20 points and 16 boards, including five on the offensive end, in the first meeting, and he’ll be confident of doing the same again, especially with BC’s Quentin Post struggling for fitness.
If he can dominate the paint like he did last time, it will be difficult for Boston College to keep up.
Another reason UNC needs to win this game is that they need quality wins in the later stages of the tournament. An early exit almost certainly means they miss out on an NCAA tournament berth. This is a must-win game for them, and we expect them to come out firing on all cylinders.
Finally, we expect a tired Boston College team to struggle against this talented UNC squad. They’ve already played one game in the tournament, and the quick turnaround won’t do them any favors.
We’re picking UNC to beat Boston College on the spread in this ACC tournament matchup. They’re the higher seed, favored by the experts, and have the talent to dominate this game. Boston College will put up a fight, but we don’t think they have what it takes to stop UNC. Heels by double digits.
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