UNC Building Case as NCAA Title Contender; Syracuse Visit on Tap
UNC vs Syracuse Odds: Tar Heels Open as 8-Point Favorites
As the regular season barrels toward the finish line, North Carolina is maintaining its place as the ACC’s lead dog. The No. 7 Tar Heels stand alone with an 11-2 conference record, and oddsmakers have accordingly labeled them a -450 favorite.
An opportunity to create more separation atop the standings comes Tuesday (7 p.m. ET) when the Tar Heels visit struggling Syracuse. The Tar Heels opened as 8-point favorites at -115 odds, while the Over/Under is ticketed for 155.5, easily one of the highest totals on the board.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both teams and assess the UNC vs Syracuse odds in our college basketball game preview.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Syracuse Orange 
Day/Time:
Location: JMA Wireless Dome; Syracuse, N.Y.
Streaming: ESPN, ESPN+
Betting Trends – UNC vs Syracuse odds
The North Carolina Tar Heels are 14-10 ATS, including 5-2 away from home. The Tar Heels have gone Under the total in all seven road games and are 11-13 against the Over/Under for the season. Meanwhile, the Syracuse Orange are just 9-15 ATS, including 5-8 at home. As for the Over/Under, the Orange are 12-12.
Be sure to remember these trends when betting on the UNC vs Syracuse odds.
Is North Carolina a legitimate national championship contender? Despite slipping up of late in ACC play, the Tar Heels sure seem to be, especially in the eyes of oddsmakers. In addition to being +360 to make the Final Four, the Tar Heels are also +1500 to win the NCAA title. At the moment, only five schools have shorter odds.
North Carolina (19-5, 11-2) currently leads the ACC college basketball standings, but recent losses to a pair of unranked teams in Georgia Tech and Clemson caused the Tar Heels to fall three spots to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Tar Heels are also No. 8 in KenPom while ranking 28th in adjusted offensive efficiency and sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Tar Heels’ resume is impressive, highlighted by ranked wins over No. 8 Tennessee, No. 25 Oklahoma and No. 9 Duke. Joe Lunardi has them as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in his latest bracketology for ESPN, but they’ll surely remain in the mix for a No. 1 seed if they manage to win both the ACC regular-season and tournament titles.
Despite the departure of Caleb Love to Arizona, North Carolina has been explosive offensively. The Tar Heels rank 22nd in the country in scoring at 82.5 points per game. A majority of that has come from inside the arc, as they sit outside the top 100 in 3-point shooting (35.3%). Guard RJ Davis is the team’s leading scorer (21.5), in addition to a +2000 pick to win the Naismith Player of the Year trophy. Center Armando Bacot is averaging 14.2 points along with 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
North Carolina is 6-1 in true road games, with its only blemish a 74-73 loss to Georgia Tech on Jan. 30. It has covered in five of those games, but is just 1-3 ATS over its last four. Bettors should keep that in mind when assessing the UNC vs Syracuse odds.
Orange Not Worth the Squeeze
Syracuse is trending in the wrong direction after losing three of four, including a 77-68 defeat to Clemson on Sunday in which Tigers guard Joe Girard III dropped 18 points against his former team. A 4-point underdog, the Orange failed to cover for the fourth straight game and fifth time in six tries.
In fact, Syracuse is just 9-15 ATS, including 3-8 as an underdog. Its 37.5% cover rate is among the lowest in college basketball.
No surprise, Syracuse could find itself on the outside looking in come March Madness. Its record (15-9, 6-7) is modest, but Syracuse is still lacking a true signature win on the NCAA basketball schedule. Its 0-4 against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. Additionally, the Orange are just 94th in KenPom while ranking 148th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 53rd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Oddsmakers have all but written them off, dropping the Orange to +4500 just to make the Final Four. That’s assuming, of course, the Orange even make the NCAA Tournament.
Guard Judah Mintz is Syracuse’s top scorer, averaging 18.2 points on 42.8% shooting to go with 4.6 assists. Notre Dame transfer J.J. Starling (13.2) and Chris Bell (11.4) are currently the only other NCAAB players on Syracuse scoring in double figures. As a team, Syracuse ranks just 134th in scoring (75.6).
Handicapping the Game
At its best, North Carolina is capable of beating practically anyone. It’s proved that time and again this season. Syracuse, on the other hand, is a deeply flawed team, one that’s running out of time to forge a better identity. The Orange are 11-2 at home, but they’ve yet to beat anyone of real substance. Wins over the likes of Pittsburgh, Boston College and Louisville won’t carry much weight on Selection Sunday.
Although true road games can be unpredictable, especially during conference play, the Orange haven’t given bettors much reason to trust them. As the regular-season’s final month winds down, that much is obvious.
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