North Carolina Tar Heels will face Alabama Crimson Tide for the third spot in the Phil Knight Invitational on Sunday afternoon. This is a tie between two teams from the ACC and the SEC. Both the Tar Heels and the Crimson Tide are coming off losses in their previous round. The Tar Heels, the 5.5 favorite in the contest, lost to Iowa State Cyclones, while the Crimson Tide lost to UConn Huskies.
North Carolina vs Alabama Betting Odds
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North Carolina vs Alabama Match Details
Fixture: Tar Heels vs Crimson Tide
Date and Time: Sunday, November 27 at 3:30 PM ET
Venue: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
North Carolina vs Alabama Key Stats
The Tar Heels surprisingly lost their last game when everyone thought otherwise. They have won five of their previous six games but have failed to cover the spread as the favorites in five of those games, with their only ATS victory coming against James Madison University.
The Tar Heels are scoring 79.5 points per game and giving up 70.5 on the defensive end. They have a good free throw percentage this season and are allowing their opponents to shoot 41.3 FG% and 33.8 3-point percentages. While the offense has been good, they lack vigor on the defensive end, which is why they have ended up with a 9 point differential in the season. Armando Bacot scored 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in the defeat against the Cyclones.
The Crimson Tide are fifth in the SEC and are 4-2 ATS in their last six games. For the Crimson Tide against the Huskies, Brandon Miller led the charge by scoring 18 points, raking in nine rebounds, and dishing out three assists. The rest of the unit struggled to back him up on the court against UConn.
The Crimson Tide average a healthy 81.2 points per game on 43.2% shooting and rank first in the country with 46.5 rebounds per game on offense. They have had a good defensive mentality ingrained in the roster, which fell just short against the Huskies for the first time this season. They will have to up the ante against the Tar Heels who possess the best offense in the nation at this level.
North Carolina vs Alabama Betting Prediction
While playing well offensively and winning five of their last six games, the Crimson Tide have struggled to make accurate field goals and free throw shots. However, they have been incredibly sloppy with the ball, which will give the Tar Heels numerous easy scoring opportunities.
Despite their strong rebounding, which will keep them in this game, the Crimson Tide will have trouble scoring in this matchup since the Tar Heels are playing strong defensively. North Carolina should cover the spread in this one.
Pick: Tar Heels +1.5 (-110)
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