La Salle Explorers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our La Salle vs North Carolina NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Chapel Hill.

La Salle vs North Carolina Prediction

Betting on today's Explorers and Tar Heels game? Catch the action at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC, as the Tar Heels hosts this showdown at 4:00 ET on CW. The odds for this non-conference game currently have North Carolina as the -21.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 164 points.

La Salle vs. North Carolina Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: La Salle Explorers at North Carolina Tar Heels
Where: Chapel Hill at Dean E. Smith Center
Date: Saturday, December 14th
Betting Odds NCAR -21.5, LASAL +1370 | NCAR -3901 O/U 164

Explorers Preview: Can the Explorers Grab a Win on the Road?

La Salle Explorers Recent Game/Games

La Salle fell to 6-4 on the season after an 82-68 road loss to Saint Joseph's on Saturday. The Explorers entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.

La Salle trailed 33-29 at halftime and allowed 49 points in the second half while scoring 39. The total points for the game were 150, just under the O/U line of 152.5.

Explorers Offense Breakdown

La Salle's offense struggled from the field in their last game, shooting just 36.7% overall and 25% from three-point range, hitting 6 of 24 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 41.7%, but they did manage to connect on 85.7% of their free throws, going 18 for 21.

Erik Reynolds II led the way with 24 points, shooting 55.6% from the field, while Xzayvier Brown added 21 points, hitting 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Brown also dished out 6 assists, and La Salle grabbed 14 offensive rebounds as a team.

Explorers Team Defense

La Salle's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 82 points on 53% shooting from the field. The Explorers allowed 63% shooting from inside the arc, with their opponents hitting 26 of 41 two-point attempts.

From three-point range, La Salle's defense held their opponents to 31% shooting, as they went 6 for 19. The Explorers also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 16 times, where they converted 12 attempts for 75%.

Tar Heels Preview: Is a Home Win Possible for the Tar Heels?

North Carolina improved to 5-4 on the season with a 68-65 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Tar Heels were heavy favorites at -18.5 but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 133 fell well below the O/U line of 162.5.

UNC led 31-30 at halftime and scored 37 points in the second half while allowing 35. Though they got the win, the Tar Heels will look to perform more convincingly in their upcoming games.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 39% from the field and 20.8% from beyond the arc, hitting only 5 of 24 three-point attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.1%, but they did manage to connect on 81% of their free throws, going 17 for 21 from the line.

Lance Terry led the team with 22 points, making 5 of 13 threes, while Seth Trimble and Baye Ndongo each added 19 points. Trimble shot 83.3% from the field, and Ndongo pulled down 12 rebounds. The Tar Heels finished with 13 offensive rebounds and 10 assists as a team.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina's defense held their opponent to 65 points on 39% shooting from the field. They allowed 18 two-point baskets on 35 attempts, a 51% conversion rate.

From beyond the arc, North Carolina limited their opponent to 5 threes on 24 attempts, just 20% shooting. They also sent them to the line 21 times, where they hit 17 free throws, an 81% rate. North Carolina gave up 13 offensive rebounds.

Explorers vs Tar Heels Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three games away from home, the Explorers have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 76 points per game in these contests.
When looking at their past ten home matchups, North Carolina has an ATS record of 7-3 while averaging 75 per game. The team went 7-3 overall in these games.
Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Explorers have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Tar Heels have a straight up record of 3-2, while going 1-4 against the spread.