Virginia vs North Carolina Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 3/9/23
North Carolina Tar Heels (20-12) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (23-6)
March 9, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Virginia Cavaliers -1 / North Carolina Tar Heels +1 ; Over/Under:
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The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers meet Thursday in ACC Tournament college basketball action from Greensboro Coliseum. North Carolina is 20-12 overall this year. The Tar Heels took out Boston College in their tournament game on Wednesday. As for Virginia, they finished off the regular season at 23-6. The Cavaliers beat Louisville in their last game. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina hit a 15-9 stretch over the first 24 games of the season. The Tar Heels finished off the slate on a 4-3 record with wins over Clemson, Notre Dame, Virginia and Florida State. The losses were to Miami, NC State and Duke otherwise.
In tournament activity on Wednesday versus Boston College, North Carolina jumped out to a 43-29 lead at halftime. The Tar Heels hit a 42-32 run from there in an 85-61 victory. Leading the way was Caleb Love on 22 points, and RJ Davis added 18 more.
Virginia Cavaliers
Over on the Cavaliers’ side, they hit a 17-4 run through their first 21 outings this year. The Cavaliers have gone a solid 6-2 since then, beating NC State, Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame, Clemson and Virginia with losses to Boston College and North Carolina.
Back on Saturday versus Louisville, Virginia was up 36-20 going into the second half. The Cavaliers posted 39 more points from there and won the game 75-60. Both Jayden Gardner and Armaan Franklin posted a team-high 16 points.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably take a stab on North Carolina. The Tar Heels played a nice game versus Boston College on Wednesday, shooting an excellent 54.8 percent from the field with a 33-26 rebounding advantage (10-7 offensive). As for Virginia, they’ve generally been playing pretty well lately but they’ve also got a few duds on the card. The Cavaliers have scored 64 or fewer points in five of their last six games as well. These teams have met twice before this season, with the home team taking a victory each time. First was a 65-58 Virginia win back on January 10, then a 71-63 outcome for the Tar Heels at Dean Smith Center on February 25. This should be another highly competitive matchup, and I like North Carolina to get it done here if they play to their capabilities.
