Pittsburgh Panthers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/15/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, March 15, 2024

Venue:  Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

Where to Watch:  ESPN, ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pitt +7.5, UNC -7.5; Over/Under:  148 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pitt +7.5, UNC -7.5; Over/Under:  148 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pitt +7.5, UNC -7.5; Over/Under:  147.5 points

Pittsburgh Panthers:  21-10 (12-8) (4th place, ACC)

North Carolina Tar Heels:  25-6 (17-3) (1st place, ACC)

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Pittsburgh Panthers:  4-1  last 5

North Carolina Tar Heels:  5-0  last 5

Pittsburgh is entering this game with a 21-10 record overall, a 12-8 record in conference games, and they are 1-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their last game. Ishmael Leggett led the team in points per game in that game with 30 while Blake Hinson was next on the team with 20. Jaland Lowe led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Ishmael Leggett led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 48.1% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.5 PPG against them. Pittsburgh has an ATS record of 20-9-3 this season and their O/U record is 18-12-2.

North Carolina is entering this game with a 25-6 record overall, a 17-3 conference record, and they are 3-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Florida State Seminoles in their last game. RJ Davis led the team in points in that game with 18 while Armando Bacot and Cormac Ryan each were next on the team with 14. Elliot Cadeau led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot each led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 52.3% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70.1 PPG against them. North Carolina has an ATS record of 19-13 this season and their O/U record is 15-16-1.

The current betting odds have North Carolina listed as a 7.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. North Carolina has looked really good in their games this season with their 25-6 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked inside the top 10. They have looked great in the ACC this year with their 17-3 conference record which leads the way, but they are only 3-3 in their neutral site games. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has looked good in their games this season with their 21-10 record overall and their 12-8 conference record which has them right near the top of the ACC. They haven't been any better in their neutral site games this season either with their 1-1 record in those. Pittsburgh has been really hot lately with their 4-1 record in their last 5 games, but North Carolina has still been the hotter team coming into this one with their 5-0 record in their last 5 games. UNC hasn't been great in their neutral site games this season but they have been great in their games against ACC opponents all year and they are going to be motivated to win this tournament with some style points since they still have a chance to secure a number 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The best way to place a bet here is on North Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Pittsburgh North Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 15, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is North Carolina 84 Pittsburgh 69.

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Pittsburgh Panthers: 20-10 ATS in all games. 13-7 ATS against conference opponents. 7-0 ATS in tournament semi-final games. 13-7 OVER when the total is 140 to 149.5. 12-2 OVER revenging a loss where team scored less than 60 points. 8-3 OVER after 4 or more consecutive wins.

North Carolina Tar Heels: 3-6 ATS when playing their 2nd road game in 3 days. 3-8 ATS off a blowout win by 20 points or more over a conference rival. 17-8 OVER in all neutral court games. 35-22 OVER after 2 straight games making 78% of their free throws or better. 

Pittsburgh Panthers:  None.

North Carolina Tar Heels:  None.

“We obviously got off to a very good start. I thought our defense in the first half was outstanding and we were able to score and move the basketball.” - Jeff Capel after his team’s win against Wake Forest in their last game on Thursday.

“Their effort, energy, attention to detail defensively was good. And for us to dominate the boards on both ends, I thought that was a huge key for us in allowing them to be successful out there.” - Hubert Davis after his team’s win against FSU in their last game on Thursday.

Z. Austin 

C. Carrington 

F. Federiko 

B. Hinson 

J. Lowe

A. Bacot 

E. Cadeau 

R. Davis 

H. Ingram 

C. Ryan

PPG: B. Hinson (18.8)

APG: C. Carrington (4.2)

Reb/G: I. Leggett (5.5)

PPG: R. Davis (21.1)

APG: E. Cadeau (4)

Reb/G: A. Bacot (10.1)

Coaches:

Pittsburgh Panthers: Jeff Capel III (6th season)

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