The No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels (13-4, 3-1 ACC) have ACC title aspirations this season, but they'll have to play consistently on the road to get there. And they'll be put to the test against the Miami Hurricanes (9-7, 1-3 ACC) on Saturday at noon ET. The Tar Heels are six-point favorites in the latest North Carolina vs. Miami odds, with the total set at 157.5. The season hasn't gone according to plan for the Hurricanes thus far, but they're a strong defensive team that is capable of giving almost anybody a fight. Before figuring out which side of the spread to jump on, be sure to check out the North Carolina vs. Miami picks and college basketball predictions from SportsLine's proven computer model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned over $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks.
It enters Week 11 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a strong 22-8 run on all of its top-rated picks. Anybody who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model takes aim at this Big ACC matchup. We can tell you it has a lean to the under, and it also has a strong pick against the spread, saying one side hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before you lock in your own picks.
The model has taken UNC's strong start in ACC play into account. The Tar Heels enter this matchup at 3-1 in the conference with quality wins over Notre Dame, NC State and Pittsburgh. A double-digit setback against Louisville raised some concerns, but those were at least partially alleviated by the win over the Irish earlier this week.
Veterans Cameron Johnson (15.5 ppg) and and Luke Maye (14.4 ppg) do most of the heavy lifting for the Tar Heels on offense, but they got a nice boost from freshman forward Nassir Little in the win against Notre Dame as he came off the bench for 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. If they can get that kind of production from him on Saturday, UNC will have a great chance to cover.
But a well-rested Hurricanes squad isn't going to make it easy for the Tar Heels to cover the North Carolina vs. Miami spread.
The Hurricanes haven't been on the floor since Jan. 12, a 76-65 win over Wake Forest that helped snap a thee-game losing streak to open conference play.
Miami has used primarily a seven-man rotation recently, but with the help of a stingy zone, the Hurricanes have still managed to play quality defense, holding teams to just over 70 points per game this season. If they can limit a fast-paced North Carolina offensive attack on Saturday, they'll be able to keep the game lower scoring and within the spread.
Who wins North Carolina vs. Miami? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the model that has returned more than $5,200 to $100 players the last two years, and find out.
