The No. 20 Tennessee Volunteers (7-1) will be at home in Thompson-Boling Arena when they clash against the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1). The games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 156 points with North Carolina set as a 1-point favorite. Action starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 17, 2017, and it can be seen on ESPN.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Tennessee Volunteers Odds Preview
In the Tar Heels last matchup, they had no trouble getting past the Western Carolina Catamounts, 104-61. With 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, North Carolina’s Luke Maye had a good outing. North Carolina played a nearly perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.215 (below their season average of 0.240) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 41.9 (above their season average of 36.1). For those same stats, Western Carolina put up marks of 0.044 and 14.9, respectively.
The Volunteers will look to maintain momentum after topping the Lipscomb Bisons in their last game, 81-71. Tennessee was lifted by Grant Williams, who led the team in scoring with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Tennessee dominated every stat category in the game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.407 (above their season average of 0.260) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.483 (below their season average of 0.531). For those same stats, Lipscomb recorded marks of 0.222 and 0.452, respectively.
Since last season, Tennessee has done a solid job of getting to the charity stripe. They rank 31st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.303), but North Carolina has been among the best in the NCAA at keeping opponents off the line (ranking fourth by allowing a FTA rate of 0.208). Additionally, the Tar Heels rank 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage (40.5 percent), while the Volunteers rank 256th in defensive rebounding percentage (69.2 percent).
Games including these teams have a tendency to go over the O/U total. North Carolina games have gone over 66.7 percent of the time, while Tennessee games have gone over 80.0 percent of the time. Both teams have superb straight up (SU) records (9-1 for North Carolina; 7-1 for Tennessee), but the Tar Heels have the edge against the spread (ATS). North Carolina is 6-3 ATS, while the Volunteers are 4-2.
The Tar Heels won the only contest against the Volunteers last season, 73-71. North Carolina had a much better turnover percentage (10.7 vs. 20.9). Tennessee, on the other hand, had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.546 vs. 0.411).
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – North Carolina, ATS Winner – North Carolina, O/U – Under
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Volunteers average 14.8 assists per game, which ranks 89th in the nation. The Tar Heels rank 206th in assists allowed per game (12.3).
- Tennessee ranks 52nd in three pointers allowed per game (19.3) while North Carolina ranks 269th (24.5).
- The Tar Heels average 43.9 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the nation. The Volunteers rank 180th in rebounds allowed per game (36.6).
- Tennessee averages 5.0 blocks per game, which ranks 34th in the NCAA. North Carolina ranks 174th in blocks allowed per game (4.5).
