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The Charleston Cougars (1-0, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 O/U) will take on the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0, 0-1 ATS, 0-1 O/U) in a preseason non-conference game on Friday night.
In their last campaign, the Cougars defeated Chattanooga and finished 16-14. In their first game of the year, the Tar Heels were able to overcome UNC Wilmington. Last year, North Carolina defeated Charleston by a score of 94–83.
Charleston vs North Carolina Betting Prediction
Charleston vs North Carolina Match Details
Fixture: Charleston at North Carolina
Date and Time: Friday, November 11, at 7:00 pm ET
Venue: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Charleston vs North Carolina Key Stats
This is the first of a challenging non-conference schedule for the Charleston Cougars. Next week, they take on Richmond and Davidson.
Reyne Smith is among the most talented returning players for the Cougars, who lost a sizable amount of their scoring from the previous season. In his rookie season, the guard averaged 12.1 PPG and shot an impressive 37.5% from beyond the arc. He scored 24 points in the season opener on Monday.
Based on Ken Pomeroy's rankings for college basketball, the Cougars are ranked 188th in the nation and were picked to place fourth in the CAA preseason poll.
Last season, Charleston was effective offensively, scoring 78.4 points, which placed them 30th. Monday's 85-point performance was encouraging. Last year, the defense struggled, giving up an average of 77 points, ranking them 333rd.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are thought to be national championship hopefuls this season. Carolina, Gonzaga, and Kentucky are the three teams that are most often mentioned in the literature.
Armando Bacot, who led the Tar Heels in scoring last season, is back. The senior forward had a fantastic 2021–2022 campaign, averaging 16.3 PPG and 13.1 RPG. The Tar Heels are now placed 11th in Ken Pomeroy's rankings, down from their season-opening position of #1 in the AP Top 25 Rankings.
NC depended on its offense and rebounding to win games last season. They were excellent, scoring an impressive 78.6 points per game and ranking 28th in the nation. The defense was 279th in DI with an average point surrender of 72.6.
Charleston vs North Carolina Best Picks and Prediction
The Charleston Cougars must substantially fill the scoring hole left by last year. The club has lost three of its top four scorers, and it is unlikely that they will finish among the top three in the CAA conference. Their top returning scorer only managed 12.1 PPG on average.
The Tar Heels, who won the national championship last season, bring back a sizable section of their roster, including Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, who is certain to be selected in the NBA's first round. This spread is more than realistic because Charleston allows 101.9 points per 100, whereas NC only allows 88.5.
Pick: North Carolina -21.5 (-110)
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