The No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels will be looking to add another early-season win to their resume when they face the Charleston Cougars on Friday night. North Carolina opened its campaign as the top-ranked team on Monday, picking up a 69-56 win over UNC Wilmington. Charleston got off to a strong start as well, notching an 85-78 victory over Chattanooga in its opener.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are favored by 20 points in the latest North Carolina vs. Charleston odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 160. Before entering any Charleston vs. North Carolina picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on UNC vs. Charleston. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Charleston vs. UNC:
- North Carolina vs. Charleston spread: North Carolina -20
- North Carolina vs. Charleston over/under: 160 points
- North Carolina vs. Charleston money line: North Carolina -4500, Charleston +1500
- North Carolina vs. Charleston picks: See picks here
Why North Carolina can cover
North Carolina is going to be motivated coming into this game, as it did not put together its cleanest performance in the win over UNC Wilmington on Monday. The Tar Heels should look sharper on Friday night, especially with all of the returning production that they have on the roster. They are led by the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, Armando Bacot, who had 16 points and nine rebounds in the opener.
RJ Davis and Caleb Love had 17 points apiece in that win, and they held UNC Wilmington to just three assists, which were the fewest by a North Carolina opponent since 1975. The Seahawks also shot 29.3% from the floor, so Charleston is going to have trouble scoring on Friday. North Carolina is 18-2 in its last 20 home games and has covered the spread in six of its last seven games overall.
Why Charleston can cover
North Carolina might have held UNC Wilmington to less than 30% shooting from the floor, but the Seahawks still managed to score 56 points and easily covered the 23.5-point spread. Charleston is a better team than the Seahawks, and it is coming into this game with momentum after a solid season-opening win over Chattanooga. The Cougars raced out to a 42-31 lead and covered the 4.5-point spread in that victory.
Sophomore guard Reyne Smith shot 5 of 10 from 3-point range and led Charleston with 24 points, while Jaylon Scott and Dalton Bolon each had 11 points in the win. Scott, who transferred from NAIA Bethel College, added five rebounds in his debut. The Cougars have covered the spread in six of their last seven games dating back to last season, and they have covered in five of their last seven games against North Carolina.
How to make North Carolina vs. Charleston picks
The model has simulated Charleston vs. North Carolina 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins North Carolina vs. Charleston? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% percent of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Charleston vs. North Carolina spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,200 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.
