North Carolina vs Virginia 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Virginia Cavaliers (9-5) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (10-4)
January 8, 2022 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: North Carolina Tar Heels -6 / Virginia Cavaliers +6; Over/Under: -132.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Virginia Cavaliers and North Carolina Tar Heels meet Saturday in college basketball action at the Dean E. Smith Center. The Virginia Cavaliers look for a win after winning eight of their last 11 games. The North Carolina Tar Heels look for a win after winning seven of their last nine games.
The Virginia Cavaliers are averaging 63.6 points on 45.8 percent shooting and allowing 57.7 points on 39.7 percent shooting. Jayden Gardner is averaging 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, while Armaan Franklin is averaging 12 points and 1.4 assists. Kihei Clark is dishing 4.2 assists and Reece Beekman is grabbing 3.9 rebounds. The Virginia Cavaliers are shooting 31.7 percent from beyond the arc and 72.9 percent from the free throw line. The Virginia Cavaliers are allowing 33.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 29.4 rebounds per game.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are averaging 79.1 points on 48.3 percent shooting and allowing 71.4 points on 42.6 percent shooting. Armando Bacot is averaging 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds, while Caleb Love is averaging 15.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. RJ Davis is the third double-digit scorer and Brady Manek is grabbing 5.9 rebounds. The North Carolina Tar Heels are shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc and 75.3 percent from the free throw line. The North Carolina Tar Heels are allowing 32.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 37.3 rebounds per game.
The Cavaliers are 36-17-2 ATS in their last 55 road games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win. The Tar Heels are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games. The over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 Saturday games. The under is 5-0 in Tar Heels last 5 home games. The favorite is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the more talented team and those shots fall at a good percentage at home, but at what point are we going to stop doubting Virginia in these spots? The Virginia Cavaliers aren’t as talented as they’ve been in the past, but they still get after it defensively, they’re well coached, they win games, and they’re still covering numbers. Virginia and free points are tough to pass up. I’ll take it.
