North Carolina Tar Heels vs Baylor Bears Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/19/2022

Game Time: 12:10 pm ET, Saturday, March 19, 2022

Venue:  Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  UNC +5.5, Baylor -5.5; Over/Under:  149 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  UNC +5.5, Baylor -5.5; Over/Under:  149.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  UNC +5.5, Baylor -5.5; Over/Under:  149.5 points

 

North Carolina Tar Heels:  25-9 (2nd place, ACC)

Baylor Bears:  27-6 (2nd place, Big 12)

 

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North Carolina Tar Heels:  4-1 last 5

Baylor Bears:  4-1 last 5

 

 

 

UNC is coming into this game with a 25-9 record overall and they are 2-4 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 7 of their last 8 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Virginia Tech Hokies while their last 5 wins in that span came against the NC State Wolfpack, the Syracuse Orange, the Duke Blue Devils, the Virginia Cavaliers, and the Marquette Golden Eagles in their last game. Brady Manek led the team in points in that game with 28 while Caleb Love was next on the team with 23 points. RJ Davis led the team in assists in that game with 12 while Manek led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 45.9% from the field, 37.1% from 3-point range, and 82.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 71.5 PPG against them. UNC has an ATS record of 17-16-1 this season and their O/U record is 20-14.

 

 

Baylor is coming into this game with a 27-6 record overall and they are 4-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 6 of their last 7 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Oklahoma Sooners while their 6 wins in that span came against the TCU Horned Frogs, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Kansas Jayhawks, the Texas Longhorns, the Iowa State Cyclones, and the Norfolk State Spartans in their last game. Matthew Mayer led the team in points in that game with 22 while Jeremy Sochan off the bench was next on the team with 15 points. James Akinjo led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Sochan led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 57.4% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point range, and 57.1% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 63.2 PPG against them. Baylor has an ATS record of 17-15-1 this season and their O/U record is 17-15-1.

 

Baylor is coming into this game as a 5.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UNC is coming off of a big win in their round 1 game as they sent Marquette home with a win by over 30 points. They did not play well in their conference tourney but that is the only game that they have not played well in in their last 8 games. They are going up against a Baylor side that is one of the best teams in the nation and they are the defending champs from last year's tourney as well. They played very well in their first round game winning by over 30 points and they will be hungry to make another deep run here after losing in their conference tourney in the first round. UNC has played well near the end of the season but Baylor has been a more consistent team all season and they will keep on rolling through like they did in round 1. Baylor will win this game and cover the spread here.

 

North Carolina Baylor Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, March 19, 2022 (12:10 pm ET start time) is Baylor 85 UNC 74.

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North Carolina Tar Heels: 15-23 ATS as a neutral court underdog or pick. 20-14 OVER in all games. 10-5 OVER when the total is 140 to 149.5.

Baylor Bears: 18-11 ATS when the total is 140 to 149.5. 36-17 ATS after a win by 10 points or more. 56-32 OVER after a blowout win by 20 points or more. 

 

 

North Carolina Tar Heels:  D. Garcia (F) out for season - Personal. A. Harris (G) out for season - Undisclosed injury.

Baylor Bears:  L. Cryer (G) Late March - Foot injury. J. Tchamwa Tchatchoua (F) out for season - Knee injury. L. Love (G) out for season - Knee injury.

 

 

"I'm just really happy for the players. Just really proud of them, not just today, but all season. This is the first NCAA tournament win for Caleb and Armando and RJ. It was really important for me for them to have an experienced success. So I'm very happy and very proud of all of them." - Hubert Davis after his team’s win against Marquette in round 1.

 

 

"It was fun to watch. Not many things to complain about this game for sure. I think that was a conscious effort of everybody to come out and be a lot more aggressive in both halves. And we did that, and set the tone early." - Scott Drew after his team’s win against NSU in round 1.

 

 

 

A. Bacot 

L. Black 

R. Davis 

C. Love

B. Manek 

 

J. Akinjo 

K. Brown 

A. Flagler 

M. Mayer 

F. Thamba

 

 

PPG: A. Bacot (16.6)

APG: C. Love (3.7)

Reb/G: A. Bacot (12.5)

 

PPG: A. Flagler (13.8)

APG: J. Akinjo (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Tchamwa Tchatchoua (6.8)

 

Coaches:

North Carolina Tar Heels: Hubert Davis (1st season)

Baylor Bears: Scott Drew (19th season)