Virginia Tech Hokies vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 2/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Tech Hokies vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

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

TV: ESPN

The North Carolina Tar Heels (19-6) welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies (14-10) at Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday.

The Virginia Tech Hokies stepped onto the hardwood against Florida State and walked away with a win by a score of 83-75 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Hokies ended up with 21 while Florida State recorded 26 personal fouls. They converted 8 out of their 18 attempts from distance. Florida State went 65.5% from the free throw line by converting 19 of their 29 tries. On top of that, Florida State grabbed 22 rebounds (6 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't have a block. Florida State recorded 13 assists and had 10 steals for the game. When it comes to defense, Virginia Tech allowed the other team to shoot 53.3% from the floor on 24 of 45 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists for the contest while forcing 12 turnovers and having 6 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they earned 33 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Hokies buried 28 of 32 attempts for a rate of 87.5%. Virginia Tech finished with a 40.7% field goal percentage (22 of 54) and knocked down 11 of 23 shots from distance.

Hunter Cattoor is someone who was a major factor for the contest. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and also recorded 3 assists. He was on the court for 39 mins and totaled 4 boards. He ended up finishing with 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Betting Picks

Virginia Tech comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 14-10 for the year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.8 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.1 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Virginia Tech is snagging 32.6 boards per game and has 365 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 89th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Hokies are shooting 36.5% on 3-point shots (205 of 561) and 79.5% from the free throw line. They average 74.3 points per game (171st in D-1) while going 46.3% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Hokies have forced 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.0 personal fouls. They concede 34.0% on three-point shots and they are 116th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (69.7). The Hokies defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 44.5% (606 of 1,363) and they surrender 31.3 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are ranked 132nd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 300 surrendered this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the North Carolina Tar Heels took a loss by a final score of 86-79 against Syracuse. The Tar Heels were able to pull down 18 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 28 in the game. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 4 steals for the contest. Syracuse had 11 fouls for the matchup which got the Tar Heels to the free throw line for a total of 11 shots. They were able to knock down 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 81.8%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, North Carolina made 12 of their 27 tries (44.4%). At the conclusion of this game, the Tar Heels walked away from this one shooting 29 for 61 from the floor which gave them a rate of 47.5%. The Tar Heels permitted Syracuse to convert 30 of their 48 tries from the field which had them sitting at 62.5% in this contest. They finished 47.1% from downtown by going 8 out of 17 and ended up going 18 of 25 at the charity stripe (72.0%). Regarding team rebounding, North Carolina permitted Syracuse to get 22 overall (3 on the offensive side).

RJ Davis ended up being a major contributor for the Tar Heels for this contest. He converted 7 out of 17 for the contest giving him a rate of 41.2%, but wrapped this game up without a rebound. He had 19 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and had 3 assists in this matchup.

North Carolina has a mark of 19-6 on the season. The Tar Heels are responsible for committing 16.9 fouls every game while shooting 75.1% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.5 times per game (108th in D-1) and they are turning it over 10.5 times per game. North Carolina has scored 2,058 points on the year (82.3 per contest) and they snag 41.0 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Tar Heels are connecting on 44.9% from the floor, which is ranked 170th in the nation.

The Tar Heels on the defensive end are ranked 158th in college basketball in points given up per game with 71.0. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.1% from the floor (48th in college basketball). The North Carolina defense allows 30.4% on shots from beyond the arc (173 of 569) and their opposition knocks down 74.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 10.3 assists and 34.2 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 14th and 146th in college basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Carolina

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here