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UNC Tar Heels vs. Syracuse Orange CBB Betting Predictions & Preview

North Carolina vs Syracuse NCAA Basketball Gambling Lines

The North Carolina Tar Heels will make the trip up to New York to take on the second-ranked Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome.  [ad-4468020]

North Carolina Tar Heels (10-5) at 2 Syracuse Orange (15-0)
Date: Saturday, January 11, 2014
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Venue: Carrier Dome
City: Syracuse, New York
Spread: Syracuse -7.5
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Matchup Stats | ATS Insider Preview

The Tar Heels have been giant killers this season but just haven’t been able to stay consistent, while the Orange have cruised to the program’s third 15-0 start in four seasons.

North Carolina has victories on its schedule against Louisville, Michigan State, and Kentucky, who were ranked third, first, and 11th at the time, yet the team also has puzzling losses like against Belmont and UAB. Now the team has opened its ACC schedule with back-to-back losses, most recently against Miami on Wednesday, 63-57.

The Tar Heels really struggled from the field in that one, shooting 30.8 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc.

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Guard Marcus Paige leads the team in scoring at 17.0 points per game but he’s been abysmal in the last two ACC games, hitting on just 5 of 27 shots from the field and just 3 of 19 from beyond the arc, including an effort against Miami in which he hit on 2 of 15 from the field and 2 of 11 from beyond the arc for just eight points in 38 minutes. James Michael McAdoo had the only game worth writing home about as he filled the basket to the tune of 12 points and 12 rebound.

Syracuse’s last game went a whole lot better as they went to Virginia Tech and beat the Hokies 72-52.
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Top scorer C.J. Fair led the team again in this one, scoring 17 points on 8 of 17 shooting while adding six rebounds and two steals. Fellow forward Jerami Grant filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. The team shot 46.7 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent from three.

At the other end of the court, Syracuse held Virginia Tech to 36.7 percent shooting from the floor and 29.2 percent shooting from three, even outrebounding the Hokies 41-25. Each of Virginia Tech’s starters was held to single-digits in scoring.

There is plenty of reason to like Syracuse in this matchup particularly with the way the Orange have dominated opponents in their own building, going 5-1 ATS in their last six home games and 7-2 in their last nine games overall, and with the way North Carolina has failed to show up some nights. However, North Carolina has shown up for the big games, and this is as big as they get, so expect a strong effort from a squad that knows they need to pull up their boot straps and start playing basketball.

The Orange are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games played on a Saturday.

The play: North Carolina +7.5

By Gino Bottero

Gino is new to CappersPicks.com but NOT new to the online gambling industry.He's got an AMAZING knack for discovering hidden gems when it comes to betting on sports. Stick with him as he predicts when a team will have a letdown! Check Gino out for NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB betting articles all season long!