Teams on a bit of a roll meet when the North Carolina Tar Heels battle the Furman Paladins in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday. The Tar Heels (7-2), who are unbeaten in December and 4-0 since losing to Tennessee 89-72 on Nov. 21, are 7-0 against Furman in Chapel Hill, N.C., although this will be the first meeting on the Tar Heels' home court since Jan. 8, 1972. The Paladins (7-3), winners of four of their last five, are tied with Utah Valley for most overtime games this season, going 3-1. North Carolina holds a 23-2 edge in the all-time series.
Tipoff from the Dean E. Smith Center is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are 10-point favorites in the latest North Carolina vs. Furman odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 156.5. Before making any Furman vs. North Carolina picks, make sure you check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on UNC vs. Furman and locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Furman vs. UNC:
- North Carolina vs. Furman spread: UNC -10
- North Carolina vs. Furman over-under: 156.5 points
- North Carolina vs. Furman money line: UNC -650, Furman +450
- FUR: The over is 7-0 in the Paladins' last seven games following a straight-up win
- UNC: The Tar Heels are 2-5-1 against the spread in their last eight games against a team with a winning straight-up record
Why North Carolina can cover
Sophomore R.J. Davis is one of five Tar Heels averaging in double figures this season. A team captain with Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, Davis is tied for the team lead with 19 3-pointers, leads in free throw percentage (87.0) and is second in 3-point percentage (48.7). He is fourth in the ACC in 3-point percentage, eighth in threes per game (2.1) and 14th in assists (3.3). For the year, Davis is averaging 13.9 points per game, third-highest on the team, and has scored in double figures five times.
Also powering the Tar Heels is graduate transfer Brady Manek, who played his first four seasons at Oklahoma. Manek is fourth on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, and is averaging 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 blocks. He is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line, and in the Dec. 5 win at Georgia Tech, Manek scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half as UNC outscored the Yellow Jackets by 17 in the final 20 minutes to win 79-62.
Why Furman can cover
They may not play in a high profile conference, but the Paladins are no pushover. Furman boasts three players averaging 16 points or better, led by fifth-year senior Alex Hunter. Hunter has reached double figures in nine of 10 games, including four games of 22 or more points. He scored a season-high 25 points in a 91-88 overtime win over Charleston on Dec. 3. For the year, he is averaging 17.6 points, 3.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and one steal. He is connecting on 51.3 percent of his field goals, including 47.6 percent from 3-point range, and is a 78.9 percent free throw shooter.
Another stalwart on offense is senior forward Jalen Slawson, who averages 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 blocks and two steals per game. He scored 16 points on Friday in a 73-65 win over Appalachian State. He has registered four double-doubles, including a season-best 33 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Charleston. Slawson has improved tremendously over last season, when he averaged 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.
How to make Furman vs. North Carolina picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting 152 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's North Carolina vs. Furman pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Furman vs. North Carolina? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Furman vs. North Carolina spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $2,400 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.