Wake Forest Demon Deacons at North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Pick
A pair of Atlantic Coast Conference opponents hit the floor when the North Carolina Tar Heels (9-5, 1-2 ACC) hosts the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-4, 2-1 ACC). North Carolina has won the last seven contests against Wake Forest on their home floor.
Wednesday’s contest tips off at 9 p.m. EST inside the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina is a 10.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 150.5 points.
What to Know – Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest rolls into Chapel Hill on a two-game winning streak and winners of three of its previous four contests. The Demon Deacons knocked off the Tar Heels, 98-76, in Winston-Salem in their lone meeting last season. In the KenPom rankings, Wake Forest ranks 88th overall, 64th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and 108th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Offensively, the Demon Deacons average 75.6 points per game behind 45.7% shooting from the field and 35.6% shooting from the 3-point line. On the defensive side of the ball, Wake Forest holds opponents to 71.1 points per game, 43.3% shooting from the floor, and 32.6% from beyond the arc.
The Demon Deacons are 7-7 against the spread this year with a 1-2 mark ATS in true road contests. Wake Forest is 6-2 ATS in its previous eight contests against North Carolina.
What to Know – North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels made it all the way to the national championship game last year and are looking to find the same magic again this season. North Carolina snapped a four-game losing winning streak in a 76-74 last week to Pittsburgh. UNC ranks 21st in the KenPom rankings, 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and 60th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
UNC scores 80.9 points per game, thanks to 45.7% shooting from the floor and 30.8% shooting from deep. The Tar Heels defense limits teams to 74.6 points per game, 43.1% shooting from the field, and 33.8% shooting from three.
North Carolina is 4-10 ATS so far this season and 3-3 ATS in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are 0-5 ATS over their last five contests played on Wednesday.
The Pick is In
Wake Forest has a major opportunity to make its mark felt in the ACC with a solid showing on the road against the Tar Heels. UNC can put last week’s conference loss to Pitt in the past with a statement victory as a double-digit favorite. Both teams are not in the top 25, but this will play like one.
North Carolina is a tough opponent at home, and Wake Forest has struggled to pick up any traction in Chapel Hill. Even with the known recent struggles, The Demon Deacons are not a double-digit underdog to the Tar Heels. We like Wake Forest and the points here, as the number is just too high.
The Pick: Wake Forest Demon Deacons +10.5
