On Saturday, a quite capable team in the North Carolina Tarheels (16-6,6-3) pay a visit to the Bank United Center in a high pressure atmosphere. Can the Heels pull off the upset?
The #8 Miami Hurricanes (18-3, 9-0) have stormed out of the
gate and never looked back as they continue to dominate the ACC Conference.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm ET in Coral Gables, Florida
and can be seen on ESPN.
5 Dimes Sportsbook currently lists Miami as a 7.5 point
betting odds favorite and the total for the game is 138.
Changing of the
Guards
Although Duke is the higher ranked team, Miami has dominated
ACC play and currently holds a 2 game lead in the conference. North Carolina is
4th in the conference, 3 games behind, but a victory here would be
huge for the Tarheels, who have yet to knock off a legitimate contender. Their
biggest win to date was a victory over UNLV, who were in the top 25 at the time.
This is the type of victory that the Tarheels need when the NCAA Tournament
selection committee gets involved.
Unexpected Contributions
In their last game, Miami breezed pass the Boston College
Eagles in front of a sparce crowd of just 5,149 people. Miami’s “Big 3” in
Durand Scott, Shane Larkin, and Kenny Kadji all scored in double figures and
made their presence felt on the court but reserve, Rion Brown, stole the show.
Brown poured in a game high 22 points on 5 of 7 shooting
from 3 point range. Rion Brown duplicating or even having anything close to
another performance like this against a stronger North Carolina team is highly
unlikely, but we’ll have to see if he brings some momentum in this game in
which he’s a part-time player.
As a team, the Hurricanes shot 11 of 22 from 3-point range
and come into Saturday’s game with full momentum. The pressure is definitely on
North Carolina.
If Statistics Equated
to Wins….
If this was the case, the Tarheels would be an easy top 25
team and somewhere near the top of the
ACC Conference.
They rank 7th in the nation in points (79.1), 3rd
in rebounds (42.2), and 2nd in assists (18.3). By no means will this
be a cakewalk for Miami despite North Carolina’s inability to beat the higher
ranked opponents. This should be a close game and 7.5 points are a lot to give
to a team like this.
3 Consecutive Wins
The Heels are on a mini winning streak and a big reason for
this is the play of leading scorer, James Michael McAdoo. McAdoo is the best
player in this game and will only get better as the season moves along.
In his last 4 games, McAdoo has recorded 3 double-digit
rebounding efforts along with averaging 18 points per game. This is a player of
substantial size that can shoot ,rebound, and play effective defense. Look for
this sophomore to play well; North Carolina has some momentum and a win here is
an opportunity to move up in every sense of the word.
Miami is 0-5 against North Carolina since joining the ACC.
Outcome
Look for North Carolina to give the Canes a run for their
money in this game. McAdoo is playing well and North Carolina has a bit of
momentum coming into this game. 7.5 points are too much to give to the
Tarheels. Take the points with UNC for your NCAAB picks.
NCAAB Picks: North
Carolina +7.5 at 5 Dimes