Tag: north carolina tar heels

Ohio State Men’s Basketball moves up to No. 3 in ESPN’s BPI

The Ohio State men’s basketball team continues its rise in all types of rankings, including advanced metrics.

After a complete demolition of North Carolina on Wednesday night, the Ohio State men’s basketball team continues to rise in all sorts of rankings. Most notably–and useful because it updates daily–the Buckeyes are now up to the No. 3 team in the country in ESPN’s BPI analytics ratings.

Much like its football counterpart, FPI, BPI also underrated the Buckeyes at the start of the season. And, much like in FPI, Ohio State’s rise has been meteoric. Ohio State’s rise from the start of the season, where BPI placed it at No. 25, has been steady. The Buckeyes have moved up after each game, as they outperformed BPI’s expectations in each of them.

Ken Pomeroy’s major analytic KenPom ratings currently have the Buckeyes at No. 2, trailing only Louisville. It’s still early in the season, though, so metrics ratings don’t always have enough data to properly gauge how efficient a team was relative to its competition.

It’s still very early, but BPI really likes Ohio State’s long-term prospects, as well. It gives the Buckeyes a 22.5% chance of reaching the Final Four, and a 7.8% chance of winning the National Championship. Only Duke and Michigan State have better outlooks so far. It’s a long season, but the Buckeyes are certainly off to a very strong start.

Now 8-0, the Buckeyes will face BPI’s No. 17 team and KenPom’s No. 23 team, Penn State, on Saturday. Win that game in blowout fashion as well, and the metrics will start looking at Ohio State as the No. 1 team in the country.

Ohio State basketball beats North Carolina: 3 Things we learned

Ohio State rolled into Chapel Hill and put on a display that’s going to turn heads. Here’s three things we learned.

There’s no doubt Ohio State thought it had its toughest test of the year in 2019 Wednesday night. It traveled to play one of the blue bloods in the sport in a hostile environment against a very athletic team.

North Carolina might still be trying to find itself a little bit early on in the year, but it was still a good test to go against a team that offers so many challenges across the board.

In the end, it was a great resume building blowout win of a Power five basketball power, and one that went a totally different direction than anyone thought. It was blowout city — a 74-49 victory.

Here’s three things we learned.

Next … Turnovers have to get better

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Ohio State at North Carolina odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s Ohio State Buckeyes at North Carolina Tar Heels college basketball matchup, with NCAA basketball betting odds, picks and best bets

The Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) will tussle with the North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1) at the Dean E. Smith Center at 9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in a battle between top 10 squads in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. We analyze the Ohio State-North Carolina odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

The Buckeyes are ranked sixth in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. The Tar Heels are No. 7.

Ohio State at North Carolina: Three things you need to know

1. Ohio State F Kaleb Wesson has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Buckeyes, leading the team in points (12.7), rebounds (9.3) and blocked shots (1.7).

2. The Buckeyes football team is known for its stingy defense, but the basketball team is making headlines in the category, too. The hoopsters are No. 2 overall in scoring defense (52.7 points), while also checking in second in field-goal percentage defense (32.7 percent).

3. North Carolina has won 12 of 14 all-time meetings in this series, including an 86-72 win in the Dean Dome back in 2017.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Ohio State at North Carolina: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

North Carolina 76, Ohio State 69

Moneyline (ML)

NORTH CAROLINA (-189) will cost you more than against the spread, but it could be a tight game and the extra insurance might be worth it. Ohio State (+155) is battle-tested, having scored impressive wins over Cincinnati and Villanova, but a win in Chapel Hill is a pretty tall order.

Against the Spread (ATS)

NORTH CAROLINA (-3.5, -110) won’t blow the doors off Ohio State (+3.5, -110) as the Buckeyes won’t be intimidated by the environment. But UNC will be the most complete team OSU faces to date. Freshman F Armando Bacot is a handful, posting double-doubles in four of his first five games, and he’ll give Ohio State fits.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on UNC to win by at least four points returns a profit of $9.09.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 135.5 (-161) is the play, as this one should sneak into the lower 140’s with a series of late fouls and free throws, helping to inch the game over the line. The Over is 4-1 in the past five meetings in this series, too.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Ohio State vs. North Carolina 2019 basketball game preview and prediction

Ohio State is all set to take on a top ten ranked North Carolina team in the Dean Dome. Here’s our preview and prediction for the game.

The Ohio State basketball team has had a fantastic start to the 2019 season. It sits undefeated at 7-0 with wins over Cincinnati and Villanova and now sits in the top ten of the AP Poll, moving all the way up to No. 6 after the latest release.

But now it gets real.

It’s time for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Buckeyes are tasked with traveling to Chapel Hill to take on one of the blue bloods of the sport, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC lost one game already to Michigan, but still figures to be in the running for big things as usual in 2019. It’ll be a tall task to be a deep and talented Tar Heel team in their building, but this team seems to be coming together. A win would be yet another resume builder early in the season.

Records

Ohio State 7-0,  North Carolina 6-1

All-time series record

11-1 North Carolina leads

Last meeting

North Carolina won 86-72 in 2017

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Wednesday, December 4
Game Time: 9:30 PM
Venue: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
Network: ESPN

Ohio State has looked fantastic to start the season, but it gets a real test on Wednesday. North Carolina is comfortable running up and down the court and going deep into the bench — especially at home.

Ohio State is a deep team too, but this will be the most hostile environment it has faced on the young season. Can the Buckeyes continue its forward momentum and pull off the mild upset on the road, or will the Tar Heels continue to own this series and remind Ohio State that’s its simply not in the same category as the bluest of blue bloods?

Next … The Ohio State Game Plan

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WATCH: Former Longhorn Mack Brown celebrates after gaining bowl eligibly

UNC defeated arch-rival NC St. gaining bowl eligibility in Mack Brown’s first season. He celebrated with the team in the locker room.

When Texas fired Mack Brown in 2013, he was just four years removed from winning the Big 12 and making a national championship appearance. In those four years, he never got back to double-digit wins, with his best record being 9-4. After being fired, Brown took some time to work in the media, working with ESPN as a studio analyst.

Five years after being let go from Texas, Brown was hired by the school where he started his Power 5 head coaching career, North Carolina. He inherited a mess, with the program losing nine games two years in a row. Brown had three 10 win seasons while at UNC, but they had only had one since he left in 1998.

The Tarheels defeated in-state arch-rival North Carolina State 41-10 on Saturday, gaining bowl eligibility in Brown’s first season as the head coach. He rightfully celebrated with the team in the locker room after the game.

With North Carolina being bowl eligible, people have started to wonder if they could match up with Texas in the Camping World Bowl. Even Camping World’s CEO Marcus Lemonis said it would be a good game.

If the Tar Heels and Longhorns were to meet in the Camping World Bowl, not only would there be a reunion with Mack Brown, but it would be the first time the schools have met since 2002. Brown has turned the UNC football program around and has a chance to become a consistently good team in the ACC.

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Oregon-UNC game interrupted after game ball goes missing

Officials lost the game ball late in the second half.

A ranked matchup between the No. 11 Oregon Ducks and the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels was delayed late in the second half after officials lost the game ball and had to find and identify the authorized ball before play could continue.

The official ball was apparently mixed up during a timeout while there was a show for the fans on the court, and was mistakenly taken off the court. North Carolina head coach Roy Williams helped the officials recover the multiple balls that were on the floor, and after a few minutes, play finally resumed.

UNC held on for a 78-74 win.

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North Carolina-Pittsburgh odds: Panthers favored in Thursday nighter

Previewing Thursday’s North Carolina Tar Heels at Pittsburgh Panthers college football matchup, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets

The North Carolina Tar Heels (4-5, 3-3 ACC Coastal) visit Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3, 3-2) Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

We analyze the North Carolina-Pittsburgh odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

North Carolina at Pittsburgh: Three things you need to know

1. Pittsburgh has been good to Against the Spread (ATS) bettors this season, going 6-3. The Panthers are now eight games over .500 ATS since 2017. Saturday’s contest marks just the second Pitt has had at home since Sept. 28. Two games back, the Panthers lost at home to Miami 16-12. In that one, Pitt outgained UM by more than 100 yards, but the Panthers were a -2 in turnovers. The Hurricanes prevailed on a pair of short-field scores.

2. For the season, the Panthers are a -5 in TO margin. Turnover analytics peg Pitt as being among the unluckiest teams in FBS. North Carolina has done well to only have nine giveaways on the year — especially with freshman Sam Howell at quarterback.

3. The Tar Heels have acquitted themselves well on the road, but they perhaps have some close-game fatigue and one can see a night game getting into Pitt control and having the Panthers prevail on some extra energy. UNC has played eight one-score games this season (3-5 SU); that includes a six-overtime game Oct. 19.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

North Carolina at Pittsburgh: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 8:25 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Pittsburgh 31, North Carolina 20

Moneyline (ML)

AVOID the Pittsburgh -200 line.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Pitt returns a profit of $5 – every $1 wagered profits $0.50 (1 divided by 2.00) with a Panthers straight-up win.

Against the Spread (ATS)

PITTSBURGH -3.5 (-115) is a solid play in this ACC game. The Panthers and Tar Heels are even talent-wise. The most elite unit on the field, however, will be a Pitt defense allowing just 4.2 YPP (5th — FBS). The worst unit, yes, will be the Panther offense. But it’s a Panther offense playing a night game at home and one some indicators point to as undercooked in delivering big plays and more efficiency.

Plus, UNC has some injury questions in key areas — offensive line and defensive backfield — play into the confidence on this side.

Over/Under (O/U)

This sets up as a game for the Panthers to get out of their 20-point shadow on offense. Pitt does indeed rank 111th in the nation in scoring (20.9 PPG), but new OC Mark Whipple has seen his offense go up against five FBS top-40 defensive teams. UNC has coughed up 9.6 yards per pass attempt in three of the last four games. The Panther defense ranks ninth in the nation in yards allowed (280 YPG); Pitt yields just 86 YPG on the ground (5th — FBS).

Even in calling for some regression in much of Pitts’ offensive efforts, I’m going to STAY AWAY from what looks like a fair O/U figure. A lean on 50.5 (-110) is mitigated by the solid possibility of a Pitt-in-control boat race.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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