When the 20th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels visit the on Thursday evening, the matchup could deliver a contest that goes down to the wire. The spreads at legal North American sportsbooks reflect that possibility.
This ACC clash features a contrast of styles and one team that seems to be figuring it out after a less than desirable start to the season. Markets for the total on this game could be an interesting opportunity for live betting.
North Carolina at Florida State details
Thursday night offers a chance for the Tar Heels to establish themselves as a serious contender in the ACC or for the Seminoles to pull back toward the top of the conference.
- Tip-off: 6 p.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 11
- Venue: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Florida
- Broadcast: ACC Network
- Previous matchup: December 29, 2022, at Florida State; 78-71 Seminoles win
- Last 5 games: Florida State – WWWLW, North Carolina – WWWWW
- Average points for: Florida State – 84.4, North Carolina – 70.5
- Average points against: Florida State – 69.8, North Carolina – 56.5
- Florida State record: 11-4 overall, 8-1 at home, 3-1 ACC
- North Carolina record: 12-4 overall, 1-0 on the road, 3-0 ACC
North Carolina has a 21-12 edge in this series all-time, including winning 10 of 16 games against Florida State on the road. However, the Seminoles have won seven of the last 10 meetings overall and three of the last five at home against the Tar Heels.
Sportsbooks are likely to post a small spread on this contest as there isn’t a lot of statistical variance between these teams. The difference in which team is able to impose its tempo in this game will decide markets on the point total.
Handicapping North Carolina at Florida State
While North Carolina was plagued by injury issues to start the current season, roster adjustments have helped with depth and the existing roster is getting comfortable.
Florida State has managed to avoid such problems on the young season so far. A look at the stat sheets reveals that both teams are vulnerable to committing turnovers on offense. Florida State is sixth in the nation in terms of steals allowed while North Carolina ranks 10th in that same regard.
The major difference is in the teams’ desired pace of play. The Seminoles are sixth in the country in terms of field goal attempts per game, leading to ranking 11th in the nation in terms of scoring average. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are 72nd in terms of field goal attempts on average and 112th in scoring.
Thus, the total on this game will come down to which team is ultimately able to control the pace of the game. For that reason, live betting could be bettors’ best course of action on this contest. This is the third of three consecutive games against teams that were in the top 25 at the time and so far, North Carolina hasn’t allowed more than 57 points in those contests.
At the same time, you could argue that Florida State’s is the best offense they’ve yet to tried to contain. Which way to bet this game could become apparent early.
