Maryland vs. North Carolina Betting Odds Have Tar Heels Now a -18 Road Favorite
Carrie Stroup here with your Maryland vs. North Carolina spread at Tar Hells -18. You can find all the latest College Basketball betting odds at Sportsbook.com right here and claim up to $250 in FREE CASH based on your initial deposit. Visit Gambling911.com daily for all the latest College Basketball betting previews and videos.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: North Carolina -18 & 150.5
Opening Line & Total: Tar Heels -19.5 & 149.5
On senior night for No. 6 North Carolina, the Maryland Terrapins will head south to the Dean Dome to take on Roy Williams’ highly-touted squad for the second time this season.
When the two teams previously squared off, UNC won 83-74, but failed to cover the 11½-point spread. That was despite shooting a hot 44% from three-point land, while the Terps shot just 23.5%. That makes Maryland 6-1 ATS (4-3 SU) in the past seven meetings with UNC. Although the Tar Heels had won four in a row ATS, that streak was snapped as they just pulled out a three-point victory in their most recent contest against Virginia. Maryland is coming off a loss SU and ATS, but has fared well against ACC opponents ATS (8-5-1) and they are 7-2-1 ATS coming off a SU loss. At 7-foot-1, Alex Len is one of the few players in the conference who can stand up to John Henson and Tyler Zeller. The Ukranian has yet to completely find himself on the offensive end, but he’ll cause fits for the Heels in the paint, coming off a four-block performance. This could be a classic trap game where UNC will be looking ahead to Saturday’s end-of-season showdown against No. 4 Duke.
The Maryland offense this season begins and ends with Terrell Stoglin (21.2 PPG). He knocks down 2.7 threes per game and is averaging 3.3 threes per game over his past four contests. His ability to break through UNC’s lengthy guards will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game. At 6-foot-1, Stoglin cedes at least three inches to every starter in the UNC backcourt, but managed to drop 20 points in their matchup earlier in the season. Still, to beat the Tar Heels it comes down to being able to battle them in the paint, and Maryland takes on that task by committee. Alex Len (5.4 RPG) is their tallest threat, but James Padgett (9.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG) and Ashton Pankey (5.1 RPG) are also critical rebounders.
The Heels bring the nation’s third-highest scoring offense (81.0 PPG) to Wednesday night’s matchup and the country’s best rebounding squad (45.9 RPG). This effort is led by perhaps the best and largest frontcourt in the country with Harrison Barnes (17.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG), Tyler Zeller (15.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG) and John Henson (14.0 PPG, 10.4 RPG). The swingman of the group, Barnes can stroke from deep (40.6% 3-pt FG) and use his 6-foot-8 frame to work smaller defenders inside. At 7-feet tall, Zeller is a leading candidate for ACC Player of the Year honors and is coming off a strong 20-point performance on 7-of-11 shooting to carry North Carolina over Virginia, 54-51. Henson is the best defender of the group with 3.1 BPG. The UNC backcourt has size as well, led by 6-foot-4 point guard Kendall Marshall who with 9.7 APG is one of the most dynamic ball handlers in the country. Shooting guard Reggie Bullock is 6-foot-7 and can stretch defenses out with 1.8 threes per game (39%).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
