Virginia Cavaliers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 2/25/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Cavaliers vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, February 25, 2023

Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC

TV: ESPN

The Virginia Cavaliers (21-5) are hitting the road to Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday where they will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels (17-11).

The Virginia Cavaliers stepped onto the hardwood against Boston College and took a loss by a score of 63-48 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Cavaliers ended up finishing with 9 while Boston College totaled 11 personal fouls. They also made 6 of their 15 shots from beyond the arc. Boston College went 71.4% from the free throw line by knocking down 5 of 7 tries. Furthermore, Boston College snagged 32 boards (5 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Boston College recorded 14 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. When talking about the defense, Virginia allowed 52.0% from the floor on 26 out of 50 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists in this game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of hauling in boards, they compiled 27 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Cavaliers made 6 of 9 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. Virginia ended having earned a 32.2% FG percentage (19 out of 59) and converted 4 of their 21 3-point attempts.

Jayden Gardner is someone who was a major factor in the matchup. He accounted for 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting. He played 29 mins played and totaled 5 boards. He finished 50.0% from the floor and dished out 2 assists.

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Virginia will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 21-5 on the campaign. They turn it over 8.9 times per game and as a squad are committing 14.0 personal fouls per game. As a team, Virginia is collecting 32.1 boards per contest and is sitting with 413 dimes for the season, which ranks 86th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cavaliers are hitting 36.4% on shots from beyond the arc (189 of 519) and 70.3% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 68.3 points per game (270th in Division 1) while connecting on 44.9% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.5 fouls. They are giving up 34.3% from beyond the arc and they rank 9th in D-1 in points per game allowed (60.2). The Cavaliers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 41.7% (568 of 1,362) and they relinquish 31.8 boards per contest as a unit. They are 48th in the country in giving up assists with 303 conceded on the season.

In their last game, the North Carolina Tar Heels walked away with a victory by a final of 63-59 against Notre Dame. When talking about rebounding, North Carolina permitted Notre Dame to collect 30 overall (5 on the offensive side). They finished 30.4% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 of 23 and ended up going 6 of 9 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Tar Heels allowed Notre Dame to convert 23 of 58 attempts from the field which had them shooting 39.7% in this game. In all, the Tar Heels shot 23 out of 69 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.3%. Regarding 3-point attempts, North Carolina knocked down 2 of 23 attempts (8.7%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throw tries for a rate of 83.3%. Notre Dame committed 16 personal fouls for this contest which took the Tar Heels to the charity stripe for 18 tries. They also turned the ball over 8 times, while getting 5 steals in this matchup. The Tar Heels recorded 29 defensive rebounds and 18 offensive boards totaling 47 for the contest.

Armando Bacot was important for the Tar Heels in the game. He accumulated 16 points in his 33 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this contest. He buried 7 of 15 in the game giving him a rate of 46.7%, and added 11 rebounds.

North Carolina has a record of 17-11 for the year. As an offensive team, the Tar Heels are connecting on 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 251st in the nation. North Carolina has totaled 2,165 pts on the season (77.3 per game) and they collect 40.0 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 12.0 times per contest (280th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.8 times per game. The Tar Heels commit 17.1 fouls every game while shooting 73.9% from the free throw line.

The North Carolina defense concedes 33.5% on three-point shots (191 of 570) and their opposition knocks down 71.3% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 11.5 assists and 34.6 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 90th and 219th in college hoops. The Tar Heels on defense are ranked 253rd in the nation in points allowed per contest with 72.1. They are able to force 10.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.6% from the field (181st in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Carolina

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