SMU vs North Carolina prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
01/07/2025 09:26 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an SMU-North Carolina prediction and pick. Find out how to watch SMU-North Carolina.
The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to live very close to the edge. They do not look like a good basketball team right now, but they have managed to survive a few shaky performances and dig out wins which might just save their season. The Tar Heels are 9-6 right now. If they had not come back from a 16-point second-half deficit to beat UCLA, they would be in an even deeper hole than they already are. Carolina was able to get to the foul line a lot in the final 10 minutes versus UCLA and score an improbable two-point win over the Bruins. Then, this past weekend, UNC played another subpar game against Notre Dame. The Heels got out to a solid start in the first 15 minutes but then lost ground early in the second half. They trailed Notre Dame by three points in the last 30 seconds, but a 4-point play by Elliot Cadeau rescued them in a one-point victory over the Fighting Irish. If Carolina had lost just one of those two games to UCLA and Notre Dame, the team would be 8-7 through 15 games. If it had lost both, it would be under .500 right now. North Carolina does not look like an NCAA Tournament team under coach Hubert Davis, but if the Tar Heels can finally begin to play to their potential and figure out how to run a consistent, dependable offense, they might be able to turn the corner, gather momentum, hit their stride, and become a dangerous team in March.
Keep in mind that Hubert Davis had an NIT-level team in January two years ago, but the Heels found something which clicked in February. They caught fire and did not stop winning until the April national championship game against Kansas. Could that kind of season repeat itself in Chapel Hill? First, UNC must make the NCAA Tournament, and that task begins with beating SMU on Tuesday.
SMU is led by first-year head coach Andy Enfield, who left USC and came to University Park to replace Rob Lanier. SMU scored over 100 points in a win at Boston College and has beaten LSU and a few other teams of note. Enfield’s USC teams typically played mediocre offense and relied on their defense, but this SMU team is cut from a different cloth. You will note in the odds below that the total for this game is really high, a sign that this is not a normal Enfield team.
Here are the SMU-North Carolina College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: SMU-North Carolina Odds
SMU: +6.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +240
North Carolina: -6.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -300
Over: 165.5 (-115)
Under: 165.5 (-105)
How to Watch SMU vs North Carolina
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ACC Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why SMU Will Cover The Spread/Win
Why is North Carolina getting this many points? The Tar Heels have not consistently covered spreads this season. More than that, they come very close to losing outright as a favorite, as was the case against Notre Dame. There’s a very strong case to make for SMU in this game.
Why North Carolina Will Cover The Spread/Win
SMU doesn’t play great defense. The Ponies got run over by Duke this past Saturday at home. North Carolina will play with more confidence after finding a way to win on the road at Notre Dame.
Final SMU-North Carolina Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to SMU, but neither team is reliable from a betting perspective. Pass.
Final SMU-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: SMU +6.5
The post SMU vs North Carolina prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
