Miami-FL Hurricanes vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/26/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Monday, February 26, 2024

Venue:  Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL +14, UNC -14; Over/Under:  154 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL +14, UNC -14; Over/Under:  154 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL +14, UNC -14; Over/Under:  154 points

Miami-FL Hurricanes:  15-13 (6-11) (12th place, ACC)

North Carolina Tar Heels:  21-6 (13-3) (1st place, ACC)

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Miami-FL Hurricanes:  0-5  last 5

North Carolina Tar Heels:  3-2  last 5

Miami-Florida is entering this game with a 15-13 record overall, a 6-11 record in conference games, and they are 2-7 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their last game. Bensley Joseph and Kyshawn George each led the team in points per game in that game with 16 while Wooga Poplar was next on the team with 14. Kyshawn George led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Wooga Poplar led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 42% from the field, 36.1% from 3-point range, and 50% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.2 PPG against them. Miami-Florida has an ATS record of 13-13-2 this season and their O/U record is 13-15.

North Carolina is entering this game with a 21-6 record overall, a 13-3 conference record, and they are 11-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Virginia Cavaliers in their last game. Cormac Ryan led the team in points in that game with 18 while RJ Davis was next on the team with 12. Elliot Cadeau led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Armando Bacot led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 32% from the field, 31.8% from 3-point range, and 78.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70.4 PPG against them. North Carolina has an ATS record of 16-11 this season and their O/U record is 13-13-1.

The current betting odds have North Carolina listed as a 14 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. North Carolina has looked really good in their games this season with their 21-6 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country. They have looked great in the ACC this year with their 13-3 conference record which leads the conference and they have also looked great on their home court with their 11-1 home record. Meanwhile, Miami-FL hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 15-13 record overall and their 6-11 conference record which has them in the bottom half of the ACC. This was a team that made a really good run in the NCAA Tournament last year but they have completely fallen off this season with their struggles in the ACC. They haven't looked any better in their road games either with their 2-7 road record and they have nothing going for them right now with their 0-5 record in their last 5 games. UNC is only 3-2 in their last 5 games but they have been such a strong team in the ACC all season and they have more momentum on their side here after a nice double digit win on the road against Virginia in their last one. Duke also lost on the weekend so UNC now leads the conference by themselves and they are going to be looking to keep that lead and finish the season strong by not losing another game. The best way to place a bet here is on North Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Miami-FL North Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Monday, February 26, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is North Carolina 85 Miami-Florida 65.

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Miami-FL Hurricanes: 38-20 ATS as an underdog of 10 or more points. 21-11 ATS in road games. 8-2 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent. 22-10 UNDER in road games. 7-2 UNDER in a road game where the total is 150 to 154.5. 17-8 UNDER after allowing 80 points or more.

North Carolina Tar Heels: 5-13 ATS as a home favorite of 12.5 or more points. 7-12 ATS after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite. 11-6 UNDER as a home favorite of 12.5 or more points. 11-5 UNDER against conference opponents. 6-1 UNDER off 2 straight wins against conference rivals.

Miami-FL Hurricanes:  N. Pack (G) Ques Mon - Lower Body.

North Carolina Tar Heels:  None.

“The start of the second half was just a big part of the story. They did a great job coming out of halftime…we fought back late but you have to give them credit. They shot lights out from three. They outrebounded us and they had 22 assists…We forced some turnovers to give us a chance late in the game but, unfortunately, were not able to overcome a 10-point [deficit].” - Jim Larranaga after his team’s loss against GA Tech in their last game on Saturday.

“Against Virginia, you’re gonna have to knock down some shots. And he was the only one that consistently was able to shoot the ball from 3. And that was huge for us from the standpoint of him making them. But him making them I think stretched out their defense.” - Hubert Davis after his team’s win against UVA in their last game on Saturday.

M. Cleveland 

B. Joseph 

N. Omier 

N. Pack 

W. Poplar

A. Bacot 

E. Cadeau 

R. Davis 

H. Ingram 

C. Ryan

PPG: N. Omier (17.1)

APG: N. Pack (3.6)

Reb/G: N. Omier (9.7)

PPG: R. Davis (21)

APG: E. Cadeau (4.1)

Reb/G: A. Bacot (10.4)

Coaches:

Miami-FL Hurricanes: Jim Larranaga (13th season)

North Carolina Tar Heels: Hubert Davis (3rd season)