Wake Forest vs North Carolina Odds, Picks, Predictions NCAAB (1/4/23)

Wake Forest visits North Carolina in early ACC play. Wake Forest is coming off an upset of Duke and a close win over Virginia Tech, while North Carolina just stumbled for the first time in a bit in a close loss to Pitt. This should be an interesting matchup in ACC play. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Odds

North Carolina is a 10.5-point home favorite against Wake Forest and is at -570 on the money line. The over/under is also at 150.5. North Carolina being favored by this much might jump out initially, but they are the more talented team and are playing at home. The over/under also makes sense because both of these teams can score very well, especially North Carolina, and neither team is elite defensively. This spread should stay where it is too up until tip-off.

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Prediction & Pick

The pick: North Carolina -10.5

North Carolina has been the biggest disappointment in college basketball this year. They returned almost everyone from last year, but something hasn’t clicked so far this season. They have no shortage of talent, however. Armando Bacot has still been a monster down low and is leading the Tar Heels in scoring, rebounds, and blocks. Caleb Love is also a star at the point guard position and leads the Tar Heels in assists and steals, while also being the second-leading scorer for them too. R.J. Davis is another great player in the North Carolina back court next Caleb Love.

He’s right behind Love in assists and steals and he’s the third-leading scorer for the Tar Heels too. As a team they can score very well, but struggle on defense at times. They are also very good at rebounding too. On the other side, Wake Forest has shown flashes, but they aren’t there yet. Their biggest highlight of the season so far was their win against Duke. They are very guard-oriented and have three guards leading their team in terms of scoring. Their best player is their do-it-all point guard Tyree Appleby, who leads the Demon Deacons in scoring, assists, steals, and three-point shooting. Cameron Hildreth is the second-leading scorer at the shooting guard position and he leads the team in rebounds as a guard. Damari Monsanto is the third guard that plays a big role and he is the third-leading scorer for Wake Forest too. This is a game that’s primed to be a bounce back game for the Tar Heels. Expect the Tar Heels in a blowout in Chapel Hill here, and for them to get back on track.

Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Key Matchups

Can Tyree Appleby go toe-to-toe with Caleb Love? Can Andrew Carr go toe-to-toe with Armando Bacot?

Caleb Love vs Tyree Appleby

Caleb Love has been the go-to guy for North Carolina when they need a bucket. He averages 18 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds for the season, so far. He’s a star and is a huge reason why you can’t count North Carolina out of any game just yet. For Wake Forest, Tyree Appleby is the heart and soul of the team at point guard. He averages 18 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds a game. He does it all for the Demon Deacons and will be a big reason why they could be competitive here. Love has the advantage on paper, but this matchup will play a huge factor in who wins.

Armando Bacot vs Andrew Carr

Armando Bacot has been a great player down low for North Carolina. He averages 19 points, 1 assist, and 11 rebounds for the season, so far. He’s also a star for the Tar Heels and is a great insurance policy down low when they need a bucket. His matchup in the game is Andrew Carr for Wake Forest. Carr averages 10 points, 1 assist, and 5 rebounds for the season. Carr has been good, but a matchup against Bacot is completely different than anything he’s gone up against this season. Bacot has the advantage on paper, but Carr needs to step up for the Demon Deacons to have any chance here.