Pittsburgh Panthers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 2/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Panthers vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025

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

TV: ESPN+

The North Carolina Tar Heels (13-10) are welcoming the Pittsburgh Panthers (14-8) at Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Panthers faced Virginia and went home with a loss by a final score of 73-57 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Panthers finished with 11 while Virginia finished the game with 17 personal fouls. They converted 10 of their 22 tries from downtown. Virginia went 63.6% at the charity stripe by converting 7 of their 11 shots. Furthermore, Virginia collected 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Virginia totaled 20 assists and had 8 steals for this contest. In reference to defense, Pittsburgh let their opponent shoot 56.0% from the field on 28 of 50 shooting. They also doled out 5 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and getting 8 steals. Regarding grabbing boards, they compiled 19 with 2 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Panthers made 15 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 71.4%. Pittsburgh ended the game with a 41.9% FG percentage (18 of 43) and knocked down 6 of their 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Ishmael Leggett is a player who played a role in this matchup. He ended up with 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He played 38 minutes played and also grabbed 6 rebounds. He ended up going 63.6% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Pittsburgh enters this one with a record of 14-8 for the season. They average 78.5 points per outing (82nd in college hoops) while hitting 46.7% from the floor. The Panthers are shooting 35.5% on three-point shots (185 of 521) and 79.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, Pittsburgh is collecting 33.5 rebounds per contest and has 299 dimes so far this season, which is 231st in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 9.8 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.2 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Panthers are able to force 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.8 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 106th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 276 conceded on the season. The Panthers are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.4% (553 of 1,275) and they relinquish 34.4 boards per game as a team. They give up 34.0% on three-point shots and they rank 162nd in D-1 in PPG allowed (71.0).

The last time they took the court, the North Carolina Tar Heels took a loss by a final score of 87-70 against Duke. The Tar Heels collected 18 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in the matchup. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while getting 4 steals in this contest. Duke was called for 13 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Tar Heels to the charity stripe for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to bury 11 of them for a percentage of 78.6%. Regarding 3-point shots, North Carolina made 7 out of their 19 attempts (36.8%). When all was said and done, the Tar Heels went 26 out of 55 from the field which had them shooting 47.3%. The Tar Heels allowed Duke to convert 28 of their 53 attempts from the field which had them shooting 52.8% in this game. They finished 50.0% from beyond the arc by shooting 10 out of 20 and finished the game at 21 out of 25 at the charity stripe (84.0%). Concerning rebounding, North Carolina permitted Duke to pull down 26 in total (7 on the offensive glass).

Drake Powell was important for the Tar Heels in this matchup. He racked up 12 points in his 22 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist in the matchup. He knocked down 5 of 8 for this game for a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and had 1 rebound.

North Carolina has a win-loss mark of 13-10 for the campaign. As an offensive team, the Tar Heels are hitting on 46.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 73rd in college hoops. North Carolina has scored 1,867 points on the campaign (81.2 per contest) and they collect 37.5 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 14.3 times per game (139th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.2 times per game. The Tar Heels are committing 17.9 personal fouls per contest and they hit 74.9% from the free throw line.

The North Carolina defense surrenders 33.3% on shots from beyond the arc (188 of 564) and opponents are making 74.8% of their free throw attempts. They concede 13.3 assists and 35.0 rebounds every game, which is 194th and 217th in the nation. The Tar Heels on the defensive end are ranked 306th in the nation in points allowed per game with 76.7. They are forcing 11.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the field (135th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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