The No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (26-6) will continue their quest for the 2024 ACC Tournament title when they face the No. 4 seed Pittsburgh Panthers (22-10) in the semifinals on Friday night. UNC closed the regular season on a six-game winning streak, and it cruised to a 92-67 win over No. 9 seed Florida State in the quarterfinals. Pittsburgh is riding a four-game hot streak after beating No. 5 seed Wake Forest on Thursday. The Panthers are trying to avenge a 70-57 loss to the Tar Heels from the regular season and get off the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Tar Heels are favored by 7.5 points in the latest North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh odds, while the over/under is 147 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters 2024 conference championship week on a 145-104 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 28-18 (+820) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Pittsburgh vs. UNC. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh spread: North Carolina -7.5
- North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh over/under: 147 points
- North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh money line: North Carolina -336, Pittsburgh +263
- North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh picks: See picks here
Why North Carolina can cover
North Carolina established itself as the top team in the ACC when it closed the regular season on a six-game winning streak that included an 84-79 win over top challenger Duke in the finale. The Tar Heels were able to build on that win with a 92-67 victory over Florida State on Thursday, as senior guard RJ Davis had 18 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Davis, who was named the ACC Player of the Year, is averaging 21.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Senior forward Armando Bacot posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against the Seminoles, while junior forward Harrison Ingram came up just short of that mark with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Tar Heels covered the spread as 4.5-point road favorites in their 70-57 win at Pittsburgh in January. They are fighting for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, making this a crucial game for them.
Why Pittsburgh can cover
Pittsburgh got off to a terrible start in ACC play, losing five of its first six conference games. The Panthers completely turned their season around after that, winning 11 of their final 14 games against league foes. They finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak, covering the spread in all three of those games.
The Panthers are fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid, and they are coming off an important win over Wake Forest on Thursday. Junior guard Ishmael Leggett poured in 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while senior forward Blake Hinson had 20 points and knocked down four 3-pointers. The Panthers have won and covered the spread in five of their last seven games against the Tar Heels. See which team to pick here.
How to make North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh picks
The model has simulated Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh, and which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 145-104 roll on its top-ranked college basketball picks, and find out.
