EOG College Basketball Sports Betting Preview: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Ohio State Buckeyes
The bright lights of Madison Square Garden will be on display in a crucial Top-25 NCAA basketball betting battle on Thursday night when the defending champions, the North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0, 1-2 ATS), tangle with the Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0, 2-0 ATS). UNC comes into this basketball gambling tussle ranked as the #4 team in the country, but the #17 Buckeyes will be looking to turn heads in the Coaches vs. Cancer 2K Sports Classic.
North Carolina betting fanatics haven't had a great time against the basketball wagering lines this season. The Heels are trying to replace four starters, three of which were first round draft choices in last year's NBA Draft. As a result, the oddsmakers are hanging huge lines on them, and they're having a hard time covering. A 16-point victory over Florida International is anything but impressive, nor was their most recent 88-77 win over Valparaiso on Sunday. If there's one thing that UNC can still definitely do, it's run the floor. It has scored an average of 88.7 points per game this season, albeit against lesser competition. It's not like the cupboard has been left totally dry for HC Roy Williams either. Fs Deon Thompson, Tyler Zeller, and Ed Davis all put in meaningful minutes last season on the championship run, and they know what it takes to compete at this level.
The Buckeyes are returning all of their starters from last year's tournament team, though. The Big Ten's leading scorer is off to a fantastic start to this college basketball betting season, as F Evan Turner is leading the team in both points per game (19.0) and rebounds per game (17.0). Ohio State has absolutely obliterated its first two foes of the season, crushing Alcorn State 100-60 and James Madison 72-44. It covered the NCAA basketball gambling line with ease in both games. This will be the first time that the Buckeyes hit the hardwood in a week, as they have been off since last Wednesday's thumping of the Dukes at home.
As could be expected with two Top-25 teams, the oddsmakers have made the Tar Heels very slender two-point favorites on the college basketball wagering line. North Carolina is a stunning 39-12 ATS in its L/51 non-conference games, while Ohio State is sporting a 14-4 ATS record in its L/18 non-conference NCAAB betting battles.
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