North Carolina vs Virginia Tech Free Pick January 22, 2018 – Jesse Schule

North Carolina vs Virginia Tech Free Pick January 22, 2018

The defending champion Tar Heels got off to a slow start, losing two of their first three games in the ACC. Both those losses came on the road against ranked teams (Virginia and Florida State). They will play at Virginia Tech tonight, and they won here by a score of 75-70 in 2016, failing to cover as a 12.5 point road favorite. The Tar Heels have won seven straight in this series, however they only covered the spread in two of those games. They are a much shorter favorite tonight than they had been in any of those prior seven meetings. The Hokies are just 2-4 in the ACC, with home losses to Virginia and FSU. They have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven overall, and they have failed to cover in five straight against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better. History tells us that the underdog has been a good bet in this series, but with such a short line I think the smart money is still on the road favorite. It’s not uncommon to see a one-possession game turn into three possession game in the final minute when the team trailing starts to foul. If that happens here then the Tar Heels are in great shape. Joel Berry and Cameron Johnson are among the league leaders in free throw percentage, and between them they are 27-of-30 over their last five games. The Hokies shot just 8-of-15 from the free throw line in a 91-82 home loss to the Seminoles on Saturday.

Take UNC.

GL,

Jesse Schule


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