Notre Dame vs North Carolina 1/5/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The North Carolina Tar Heels will travel to Purcell Pavilion to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The North Carolina Tar Heels won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 10-3 on the season after defeating the Boston College Eagles, 91-65, this past Sunday. North Carolina was outstanding offensively against Boston College and had no trouble picking up the victory after going into halftime with a 49-20 lead. North Carolina shot 52.5% from the field & 47.8% from beyond the arc while holding Boston College to just 31.3% shooting from the filed & 28.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Tar Heels was Armando Bacot who had a double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, North Carolina is averaging 79.5 ppg on 48.2% shooting from the field. The Tar Heels are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 40.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Carolina has been led by Caleb Love (15.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.3 spg), Armando Bacot (15.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 bpg), R.J. Davis (13.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.5 apg), & Brady Manek (12.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.2 apg).

Defensively, North Carolina is allowing their opponents to average 70.9 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Tar Heels have a rebound margin of 8.5 and a turnover margin of -2.5.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 7-5 on the season after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers, 68-67, on December 28^th. Notre Dame trailed by a 51-43 margin with just 8:57 left in regulation, however, the Fighting Irish were solid offensively down the stretch and was able to secure the come from behind victory after Prentiss Hubb hit a game-winning jumper for Notre Dame with just :07 seconds left in regulation. Notre Dame shot 42.0% from the field & 45.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Pittsburgh to shoot 45.1% from the field & 35.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Fighting Irish was Paul Atkinson Jr. who had 16 points, 8 rebounds, & 1 assist.

On the season, Notre Dame is averaging 70.1 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field. The Fighting Irish are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 35.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Notre Dame has been led by Dane Goodwin (14.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Blake Wesley (13.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.2 apg), Paul Atkinson Jr. (12.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), & Cormac Ryan (8.5 ppg, 4.32 rpg, 2.3 apg).

Defensively, Notre Dame is allowing their opponents to average 65.4 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Fighting Irish have a rebound margin of 2.3 and are averaging 5.1 steals per game.

The Tar Heels are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games and 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games vs. Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are just 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games vs. ACC opponents and just 4-15 ATS in their last 19 overall games.

North Carolina has been led by the offense which ranks 37^th in scoring offense, 31^st in FG%, & 8^th in 3P-FG%, however, the Tar Heels have struggled giving up points as they come into this matchup ranked 236^th in scoring defense. Notre Dame has been led by their defense which ranks 103^rd in scoring defense, and although the Fighting Irish rank just 222^nd in scoring offense, Notre Dame has been solid behind the arc as they come into this game ranked 65^th in three-pointers made per game & 103^rd in 3P-FG%.

North Carolina has struggled a bit defensively this season, however, when looking at these rosters, it’s clear that the Tar Heels are the more talented team. Notre Dame is 5-0 at home this season, however, as I just don’t think they have the offense to keep up with the Tar Heels, I’m taking North Carolina to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!