UNC vs Virginia Tech Basketball Prediction, Odds & Picks

North Carolina entered the college basketball season as the top-ranked team in the country and opened with five straight wins. But after three straight losses, things are looking rather shaky for UNC as they head into today’s ACC opener at Virginia Tech.

Following a win over the University of Portland to open the Phil Knight Invitational, the Tar Heels were 5-0. But they fell to Iowa State and Alabama to close out their stay in Portland, and in their lone game since, they went down by 12 at Indiana on Wednesday.

The Crimson Tide, Cyclones, and Hoosiers are all ranked teams, so there’s no shame in losing to those teams.

But their losing streak needs to come to an end as soon as possible, both for the sake of morale and for their hopes of being a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. So, while it’s not quite a must-win game at this point of the season, the Tar Heels do need to win in Blacksburg today.

But the Hokies are off to an excellent start this season and will go into this game confident about opening their conference calendar with a win. Read on for our UNC vs Virginia Tech prediction, and our betting picks for the matchup can also be found below.

UNC Tar Heels vs Virginia Tech Hokies Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: #18 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-3) vs Virginia Tech Hokies (7-1)
• Venue & Location: Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, Virginia)
• Date: Sunday, December 4, 2022
• Game Time: 3:00 pm ET
• How to Watch UNC vs Virginia Tech: ACC Network

UNC vs Virginia Tech Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Sunday, December 4, 2022, at 11:30 am ET. This article may also mention odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• North Carolina +1.5 (-115)
• Virginia Tech -1.5 (-105)

Over/Under

• Over 141.5 (-110)
• Under 141.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• North Carolina -108
• Virginia Tech -111

Will the Tar Heels’ Offensive Issues Continue in Blacksburg?

With Caleb Love and R.J. Davis returning, and the addition of Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, the Tar Heels were expected to be a strong shooting team.

That still may come to pass, but it’s certainly not the case right now. Through eight games, they are shooting just 30.4 percent from three and 44.9 percent from the field overall.

There were some signs of concern offensively in their 5-0 start, but they were able to beat UNC Wilmington, College of Charleston, Gardner-Webb, and James Madison without shooting well from the perimeter in any of those games.

It looked like they were turning a corner when they made 11 of 22 in their win over Portland, and they did, but it was clearly the wrong one.

Shooting Woes for North Carolina

Iowa State

• FG%: 44.0% (22 of 50)
• 3PT%: 16.7% (3 of 18)

Alabama

• FG%: 41.8% (38 of 91)
• 3PT%: 30.4% (7 of 23)

Indiana

• FG%: 33.9% (20 of 59)
• 3PT%: 27.8 (5 of 18)

Love leads the team in scoring at 19.1 PPG but is shooting just 25 percent from three and 40.6 percent overall from the field. Davis, meanwhile, is shooting 28.9 percent from three and 38.9 percent from the field.

In UNC’s losing streak, Love is shooting just 33.3 percent (22 of 66) from the field and 24 percent (6 of 25) from three, while Davis is 34.7 percent (17 of 49) from the field and 26.7 percent (4 of 15) from three.

The Tar Heels may well be able to win in Blacksburg without shooting well, but that will require playing well on the defensive end.

Things aren’t exactly going swimmingly there either. Iowa State (9 of 20, 45 percent) and Alabama (16 of 38, 42.1 percent) both shot well from outside, while Indiana shot 50 percent from the field.

The Hokies are shooting just 24.7 percent from three in their last four games after shooting 40.6 percent from outside in their first four games, but they have shot at least 49.1 percent from the field in five of eight games this season.

UNC vs Virginia Tech Prediction and Picks

UNC vs Virginia Tech Prediction: Virginia Tech to win

UNC vs Virginia Tech Picks: Virginia Tech ML (Best Value: -109 at BetUS) & UNC/Virginia Tech first half over (Best Value: over 66.5 @ -104 at BetOnline)

A week and a half ago, it would have been wild to see Virginia Tech favored in this matchup. It still is, but oddsmakers are clearly down on the Tar Heels. Even before the losing streak, they were off to a pretty underwhelming start.

This is the Hokies’ toughest game of the season to date, by far, as they have played a fairly unimpressive schedule overall.

But Cassell Coliseum is a tough place to play, and the Hokies are going to be up for this one. And they have a lot of guys who can contribute offensively, with all five of their starters averaging at least 9.8 PPG.

The Tar Heels are undoubtedly a very talented team, and that talent can start clicking at any moment. Could today be that day? It could be, but I don’t think it will be.

Other College Basketball Content at Betting News

• Michigan vs Kentucky Basketball Prediction & Picks