UNC vs. Syracuse Prediction: Stout Atlantic Coast Matchup

On Tuesday, February 13, the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels will head out on the road to battle the Syracuse Orange. The Tar Heels are 19-5 this season, including 6-1 on the road. While the Orange are 15-9 and unranked, they’ve been sensational when playing at home, going 11-2. 

The Tar Heels won their most recent matchup against the Miami Hurricanes on the road, 75-72. Conversely, the Orange lost a most recent game to the Clemson Tigers at home 77-68.

This will be the second matchup between the Tar Heels and Orange this season. In their last matchup, the Tar Heels were at home, and they obliterated the Orange 103-67. 

Here, the Tar Heels are favored by 8.5 points.

With all that in mind, we’ll break down this Tuesday night matchup below.

UNC vs. Syracuse Betting Odds for Tuesday, Feb. 13

The Tar Heels and Orange had different results in their most recent games, with UNC picking up a win and Syracuse losing. 

UNC also holds the 1-0 mark against Syracuse earlier this season with a 103-67 win.

While Syracuse is coming off a home loss, they’ve only ever lost two games at home. 

Based on their most recent matchup that included a near 40-point victory, the Tar Heels have a sizable 8.5-point spread. 

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Looking at the Atlantic Coast (ACC) standings, UNC is ahead of the pack with a 19-5 record and No. 7 in the nation. The Duke Blue Devils have the same record but are No. 9 in the country. At 15-9, the Orange aren’t ranked, but as mentioned, they’ve played well at home. 

Still, the Orange have lost three of their last four and are 6-7 against fellow ACC competitors. 

While UNC is 19-5, they’ve had some struggles recently, losing to Georgia Tech and Clemson and narrowly beating Miami, but yes, they did beat Duke as well recently. 

They haven’t been as dominant as we’re used to. 

One key attribute that doesn’t bode well for Syracuse heading into this matchup is their defense. Over their last three games, they’ve allowed 89.3 points per game, while the Tar Heels have averaged 81.3 points over that stretch. 

A notable game from Syracuse recently was against Louisville, where they allowed 92 points as double-digit favorites. They picked up the win, but only by a margin of 94-92. 

Per KenPom, they’re allowing 99 points per 100 possessions, and while that’s far from the worst in the nation, the Tar Heels are at just 92.6 points per 100 possessions, which is sixth-lowest. 

On the boards, Syracuse allows ten offensive ones per game, while UNC averages 10.5. 

There’s just a lot going against Syracuse here, despite being at home. Their defense has been extremely disappointing recently, while the Tar Heels average over 80 points per game and have allowed 70.4 per game this season and 78.7 per game over their last three. 

This has the makings of a big game from UNC center Armando Bacot, who, at six-foot-eleven, doesn’t exactly have a formidable matchup in the paint with Maliq Brown (six-foot-eight) acting as their center if Peter Carey is unable to go as he’s a game-time decision. 

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UNC vs. Syracuse Prediction and Betting Pick

There’s no doubt that UNC is the better team here, but with Syracuse being so dominant at home, it was certainly worth a look. 

The primary issue for Syracuse here will be stopping the Tar Heels from scoring. This is something they’ve been unable to prove recently against lesser competition, and their big men, especially if Carey is out, are going to struggle to stop Bacot down low from raking in the rebounds. 

Take the Tar Heels to cover here despite their narrow-margin victories recently. 

• UNC vs. Syracuse Pick: UNC -8.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook

How to Watch UNC vs. Syracuse

• When: Tuesday, Feb. 13 @ 7:00 PM ET

• Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY

• TV: ESPN

• Streaming: ESPN+

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