North Carolina Tar Heels vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our North Carolina vs Notre Dame NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in South Bend.

North Carolina vs Notre Dame Prediction

The Tar Heels and Fighting Irish are set to face off at 12:00 ET on CBS. The Fighting Irish will host the game at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, IN. North Carolina is favored by -4.5 in this Atlantic Coast conference contest against Notre Dame. The game's over/under currently sits at 155.5 points.

North Carolina vs. Notre Dame Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Where: South Bend at Purcell Pavilion
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds NCAR -4.5, NCAR -202 | ND +165 O/U 155.5

Tar Heels Preview: Will the Tar Heels Defense Show Up on the Road?

North Carolina’s season record dropped to 8-6 after an 83-70 loss to Louisville on Wednesday. The Tar Heels entered the game as +1.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.

UNC trailed 37-31 at halftime and allowed 46 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. The game’s total points of 153 fell short of the O/U line of 164.5.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

In their last game, North Carolina's offense put up 70 points, shooting 40% from the field and 25% from three-point range (4/16). Their effective field goal percentage was 43.3%, and they hit 78.3% of their free throws (18/23).

Chucky Hepburn led the way with 26 points and 7 assists, shooting 62.5% overall. Ian Jackson added 23 points, hitting 2 of 5 from deep, while Reyne Smith knocked down 4 threes, shooting 40% from beyond the arc.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina's defense gave up 83 points in their last game, with their opponents shooting 44% from the field. They allowed 62% shooting on two-point attempts, as their opponents went 20/32 inside the arc.

From three-point range, North Carolina held their opponents to 23% shooting, with just 6 made threes on 26 attempts. However, they sent their opponents to the free-throw line 39 times, where they converted 25 free throws for 64%.

Fighting Irish Preview: Will the Fighting Irish Win at Purcell Pavilion?

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Recent Game/Games

Notre Dame fell to 7-6 on the season after an 86-75 road loss to Georgia Tech on Tuesday, December 31st. The Fighting Irish entered the game as +1.5 point underdogs and did not cover the spread. The total points for the game reached 161, surpassing the over/under line of 142.5.

Notre Dame struggled in the first half, trailing 43-24 at the break. They scored 51 points in the second half but allowed 43 points, making it difficult to mount a comeback.

Fighting Irish Offense Breakdown

Notre Dame's offense put up 75 points in their last game, shooting 43.5% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc, hitting 9 threes on 21 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 51.6%, and they were strong from the free-throw line, connecting on 85.7% of their shots (12/14).

The Irish grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists. Tae Davis led the way with 27 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 56.2% overall. Javian McCollum and Duncan Powell each added 21 points, with McCollum also contributing 6 assists.

Fighting Irish Team Defense

Notre Dame's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 86 points on 56% shooting from the field. The opposing team was particularly effective inside, hitting 66% of their two-point attempts (22/33).

From beyond the arc, Notre Dame allowed 8 threes on 20 attempts, a 40% shooting rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 25 times, where they converted 18 free throws (72%).

Tar Heels vs Fighting Irish Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last five road games, North Carolina has averaged 81 points per game while allowing 79 . The team's record in this stretch was 3-2 while going 4-1 vs. the spread.
Through their last five home games, Notre Dame has an ATS record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 1-4 while averaging 64 points per game.
In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Fighting Irish have a straight up record of 2-8 and an ATS mark of 5-4-1.
Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, North Carolina has an ATS mark of 3-7 while going 7-3 straight up.