The North Carolina Tar Heels and the UConn Huskies meet in week 10 college football action from Pratt & Whitney Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. UConn Huskies Prediction
I’m on UConn in this one. The Huskies are not that far off of UNC in my opinion and North Carolina has a big time matchup against Louisville on deck. I think UConn at least keeps it close in this one, so I’ll back the Huskies at home here. Give me UConn in this one.
North Carolina Tar Heels Recap
The North Carolina Tar Heels come into this game looking to rebound from their 38-35 loss at the hands of Miami last time out to sit at 4-4 this season. After this game, North Carolina will head home for a game against Louisville. Billy Edwards Jr. has thrown for 1,872 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while completing 63.4% of his passes to lead the North Carolina passing attack, backed by 149 completions on 235 attempts, with Miles O’Neill providing supplemental support via 22 passing yards on 3 completions. The Tar Heels’ ground game is spearheaded by Benjamin Hall, who rushes for 296 yards on 60 carries, followed closely by Demon June with 289 yards and 8 scores on 72 carries, Jaylen McGill adding 246 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 47 attempts, JoJo Troupe chipping in 20 yards on 5 carries, and Miles O’Neill adding 15 yards on 1 rushing attempt. Through the air, Jordan Shipp leads the receiving corps with 587 yards and 3 touchdowns on 45 catches, while Jelani Thurman adds 461 yards and 6 scores on 38 receptions, Trech Kekahuna logs 219 yards and 1 score on 17 receptions, Shamar Easter adds 156 yards and 2 scores on 9 receptions, and C.J. Sadler rounds out key targets with 114 yards on 8 receptions. Defensively, Derek McDonald anchors the North Carolina squad by logging a team-high 82 total tackles. Altogether, the Tar Heels’ defensive unit has successfully combined to bring down opposing quarterbacks for 19 sacks, 122 yards lost, and 29 pass deflections while also coming away with 5 total interceptions.
Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win
- The favorite has won 20 of Connecticut’s last 21 games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
- Connecticut has lost five of its last six home games against teams from North Carolina.
- North Carolina has covered the spread in four of its last five games.
- North Carolina has won the first quarter in each of its last four games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- North Carolina has won the first half in each of its last five games against non-AP-ranked teams.
UConn Huskies Recap
The UConn Huskies come into this game looking to rebound from a 35-26 loss at the hands of Air Force last time out to sit at 4-4 this season. After this game, the Huskies will head home for a game against James Madison. Kalieb Osborne leads the UConn passing attack with 1,857 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions while completing 60.0% of his throws on 129 completions from 215 attempts, with Tucker McDonald providing supplemental support via 118 passing yards and 1 score on 9 completions. The Huskies’ ground game is spearheaded by Cyncir Bowers, who rushes for 571 yards and 7 touchdowns on 84 carries, followed closely by Kalieb Osborne with 330 yards and 7 scores on 89 carries, Kenji Christian adding 306 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 55 attempts, Trey Cornist chipping in 267 yards and 4 scores on 44 carries, and Shawn Simeon adding 45 yards on 8 rushing attempts. Through the air, Shamar Porter leads the receiving corps with 308 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 catches, while JD Willoughby adds 271 yards and 2 scores on 15 receptions, Ryder Treadway logs 264 yards and 1 score on 20 receptions, Javon Brown adds 202 yards and 2 scores on 14 receptions, and Kenji Christian rounds out key targets with 134 yards and 1 score on 12 receptions. Defensively, John Lista anchors the UConn squad by logging a team-high 58 total tackles. Altogether, the Huskies’ defensive unit has successfully combined to bring down opposing quarterbacks for 14 sacks, 130 yards lost, and 41 pass deflections while also coming away with 3 total interceptions.
Why the Connecticut Huskies will win
- Connecticut has won each of its last seven home games in November.
- North Carolina has lost five of its last six games in November.
- North Carolina has failed to cover the spread in each of its last seven games in November.
- Connecticut has covered the spread in eight of its last nine home games in November.
- Connecticut has won the first quarter in six of its last seven home games in November.
- Connecticut has won the first half in each of its last seven home games in November.