NCAAB North Carolina vs. Indiana Predictions, Picks, and Odds (11/30/22)

In one of the most hyped up matchups of the early 2022-2023 season, the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Indiana Hoosiers tip off in this game that is featured in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.  These two programs have storied traditions and proud fan bases that will certainly be playing for bragging rights.  This game will be played at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana and certainly expect for the crowd to be rocking for this matchup against two blue bloods.

North Carolina enters this game ranked 18th in the country after originally starting this season preseason ranked No. 1.  After two losses last week against Iowa State and a close double OT loss to Alabama, they have fallen heavily in the rankings and now are desperate for a win so they don’t lose 3 straight.  Indiana enters this game ranked No. 10 in the country and enters this game undefeated.  This will be their first major competition game other than their 81-79 win over Xavier on the road.  Will North Carolina prove they are still the team that was preseason ranked No. 1 for a reason?  Will Indiana get a major victory against big time talent to prove they will be in it for the long run this season?  Let’s get into this game’s matchup picks and predictions.

North Carolina vs Indiana Betting Odds

The game tips off tomorrow but betting odds have not been placed just yet on any book making sites.  Indiana is projected to be the favorite however, as this game is being played on their homecourt as well as having the higher ranking.  Assembly Hall is also one of the hardest places to play in the country for opposing teams and a team like North Carolina will certainly have the Hoosier faithful rocking.  I would expect that the spread line will somewhat close in this game in Indiana’s favorites around 5 or 6 points.  It could be even closer than that with the Tar Heels desperation for a win.  ESPN Analytics gives Indiana an 80.3 percent chance to win this matchup.

The over/under total line has not been placed yet either.  Both of these teams average similarly when it comes to point scoring with Indiana averaging 88.8 PPG and North Carolina averaging 82.6.  North Carolina allows around 75.1 Points against with the Hoosiers averaging around 59.3 Points against.  With this being one of their bigger foes to date expect that number to grow.  I expect this total falls somewhere around 160.

North Carolina vs. Indiana Picks & Predictions

My Pick: Indiana ATS

I am rocking with the Hoosiers at home to win this one as it is always a hard place to play in Assembly.  I also think they cover the spread since I believe it will be a tight spread once it’s published.  I am expecting a big game from Indiana Hoosiers like Trayce Jackson-Davis and PG Xavier Johnson to truly carry the weight.  I also think the 5-star freshmen in Malik Renau and Jalen Hood-Schifino will certainly add some offensive productivity to the floor to help the Hoosiers come out on top.  North Carolina is still figuring out how to get back to where they were last year during their national championship appearance run.  They’ve had their starters show ability in scoring with Caleb Love, Armando Bacot, and R.J. Davis and now they just need to put it together to find a way to win.

Key Matchup

Trayce Jackson-Davis vs. Armando Bacot

The biggest matchup of the game will be the one down low between Trayce Jackson-Davis and Armando Bacot who are both big men for their team.  Both of them are projected to be two of the top players in the country this season and for good reason.  Jackson-Davis is currently leading the Hoosiers in scoring and rebounding averaging 18.8 PPG and 8 RPG.  Bacot is currently the leader in rebounds and second in scoring for the Tar Heels with 16.7 PPG and 11.3 RPG.  They both could easily be all-americans and finalists for the Wooden Player of the Year Award.  Expect a big matchup between these two in this game.