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North Carolina vs. Pitt fearless prediction and game preview.
North Carolina vs. Pitt Broadcast
Date: Thursday, November 14
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Network: ESPN
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North Carolina (4-5) vs. Pitt (6-3) Game Preview
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Why North Carolina Will Win
North Carolina will go bowling.
Mercer is up next and a date at NC State is right after – the Tar Heels should be good enough to roll through those two – but at 4-5, getting a win against Pitt to muddy up the Coastal is a must.
The offensive production is there – at least enough to deal with this Panther team – there aren’t a slew of mistakes, and Sam Howell and the passing game are getting it done enough to stretch the field.
Somewhat quietly, Howell has thrown for 348 yards or more in three of his last four games with 15 touchdown passes and just three picks. Pitt’s secondary has been excellent statistically, but it hasn’t dealt with a passing attack like this since slipping past UCF.
The Panthers don’t score in bunches and don’t have the juice to come back if the Tar Heels get up fast, but …
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Why Pitt Will Win
The defense really has been terrific.
Again, the secondary isn’t exactly dealing with Patrick Mahomes on a regular basis, but it’s been effective enough to get the job done against the mediocre offenses. The run defense has been the brick wall, helped by a fantastic pass rush to pad the stats.
Pitt has allowed just one team – Duke – to run for over 90 yards in the last six games, and it hasn’t given up more than 167 yards to anyone all year. Howell might be ripping it up, but the Tar Heels have to tun the ball effectively to win.
They’re 3-0 this season when rushing for 200 yards or more, 1-5 when being held to fewer. Again, this Pitt defensive front isn’t giving up much of anything, and it sure isn’t about to get hit for 200, so …
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What’s Going To Happen
It’s unbelievable how North Carolina plays close game after close game after close game. Eight of the nine games have been decided by six points or fewer, and it has come out on the wrong side in five of them.
The Panthers need to win out – at Virginia Tech and Boston College close out the regular season – and need a Virginia loss along the way to take the Coastal for the second straight season. They’ll get Part One of all that in a low-scoring game owned by their defense.
And, of course, it’ll be tight.
North Carolina vs. Pitt Prediction, Line
Pitt 23, North Carolina 20
Bet on UNC vs. Pitt with BetMGM, or for latest line
Pitt -3.5, o/u: 50.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
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Must See Rating: 3
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