The No. 15 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2) and No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers (6-0) clash in a top-15 showdown Wednesday in Bloomington as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The opening tip at Assembly Hall will be at 9:15 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the North Carolina vs. Indiana odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
North Carolina arrives in Bloomington with a 2-game losing streak in tow. UNC lost to Iowa State Friday and Alabama on Sunday. Both games were part of the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland. Sunday’s gamer was a wild, 4-overtime contest, with the Tar Heels pushing as a 2-point favorite and losing 103-101. UNC was undone by 16 3-pointers in that game.
The Hoosiers last played on Friday, covering as a -27.5-point favorite against Jackson State. Indiana shot over 57% for a 4th time this season in winning 90-51. For the season, IU’s 61.6% effective field-goal mark ranks 2nd in the country.
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North Carolina at Indiana odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: North Carolina +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Indiana -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): North Carolina +4.5 (-110) | Indiana -4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 145.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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North Carolina at Indiana picks and predictions
Prediction
Indiana 74, North Carolina 71
Moneyline
Talent levels and expectations have UNC a bit undervalued and IU a tad overvalued.
By KenPom’s rankings, Indiana is playing its 2nd team ranked in the top-250. North Carolina is playing its 8th.
Look for more 3s from UNC and for the Tar Heels’ guard play to take over a smack-in-the-face game for IU. G Caleb Love is averaging 20.0 points per game; he and other UNC guards should be able to cause problems aggressively driving the lane in a way the Hoosiers just have not seen yet.
The preferred bet here would be North Carolina +5 or more. With the line at -4.5, TAKE THE TAR HEELS +155. They are not a slam dunk to win the game, but the payoff here is worth the risk.
Against the spread
PASS, but perhaps keep an eye on this line. Take UNC if it reaches +5 or better.
Over/Under
Under-the-hood factors swing both ways here. PASS.
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