Games to Bet in the ACC This Weekend
It is going to be a busy Saturday with 14 of the 15 ACC teams playing conference games. Five of the seven matchups having both teams heading into their games with a winning record. Keep that in mind when it comes to making NCAAB picks.
Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest are all 2-0 in the ACC going into Saturday’s action. The Hurricanes handed nationally ranked Clemson its first conference loss of the season.
The biggest ACC matchup could be the one between North Carolina and Clemson. The college basketball betting lines have listed the Tar Heels as the favorite in each of the last 14 meetings against Clemson.
North Carolina moved up one spot to No. 8 in The Associated Press poll and went from 11th to ninth in the USA Today Coaches poll. Duke is the only other ACC ranked in the top 15 in both polls.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, Duke (+2200), North Carolina (+3000), and Miami (+4500) have the best odds of winning the national championship among ACC teams.
North Carolina Tar Heels (10-3 SU, 7-6 ATS) vs Clemson Tigers (11-2 SU, 8-5 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, January 6, Noon ET
- TV & Live Stream: ESPN2
Clemson led by as many as eight points on the road against a Miami team coming off a run to the Final Four. However, the defense was nowhere to be found as the Hurricanes scored 60 points in the second half of Wednesday’s 95-82 loss.
Eight of the last nine games between Clemson and North Carolina finished over the total.
North Carolina is coming off a 70-57 win over Pittsburgh as Armando Bacot had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while RJ Davis added 15 points as the Tar Heels won their third consecutive game.
Senior center PJ Hall is averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game while Syracuse transfer Joseph Girard is shooting 45% from 3-point range and 92% from the foul line.
The last time Clemson lost consecutive games during the regular season came a season ago when a loss to Miami was followed by a 20-point defeat at the hands of the Tar Heels.
The Tigers are 4-2 against the college basketball spread at home favorite while North Carolina covered in its only other true road game.
Clemson is tied for the ACC lead with nine of its games going over the total. Four of its six home games finished over the total.
Virginia Cavaliers (11-3 SU, 8-6 ATS) vs North Carolina State Wolfpack (10-3 SU, 6-7 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, January 6, 2 p.m.ET
- TV & Live Stream: ACC Network
This matchup will be all about tempo and pace of play.
Virginia is annually among the national leaders in scoring defense and the Cavaliers are allowing 55.9 points per game. North Carolina State puts up 11 more points per game than Virginia does.
The home team won the last two matchups after a stretch when the visiting squad took four of five. When looking at the recent series history, 11 of the last 12 games landed under the NCAAB Las Vegas odds total.
Four-year starter Reece Beekman leads Virginia in scoring (12.9 points per game) and with an average of 5.7 assists. Sophomore Isaac McKneely is the only other double-digit scorer.
Arizona State transfer DJ Horne saw his run of consecutive double-digit scoring games end at six for North Carolina State as he finished with eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in a 54-52 win over Notre Dame the last time out.
Virginia has failed to cover in both of its road games. North Carolina State is 4-3 ATS at home.
Miami Hurricanes (11-2 SU, 8-5 ATS) vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-3 SU, 8-5 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, January 6, 2 p.m.ET
- TV & Live Stream: CW Network
The challenge for Miami is to build off the second-half showing in Wednesday’s win over Clemson. A win over Wake Forest might be enough to get Miami back into the national polls after a 27-point loss to Colorado led to the Hurricanes falling out of the Top 25.
Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier, and Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland all topped 20 points in Miami’s win over Clemson. Miami rolled past Clemson without second-leading scorer Wooga Poplar.
“Miami looked like an offensive juggernaut against Clemson — and that was WITHOUT Wooga Poplar!”@r22childress is BUYING the Hurricanes to challenge for the ACC!
See the full breakdown:https://t.co/UDVqogcR9M pic.twitter.com/VDMGbkdZhm
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 4, 2024
Andrew Carr’s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left was enough for Wake Forest to hold off the host Boston College Eagles in the first game of 2024 for both teams. It didn’t hurt that the Demon Deacons shot 53.4% from the field.
Miami has won four in a row against Wake Forest and six of the last seven meetings. Wake Forest did cover in the most recent matchup, falling 74-72 as a 6½-point underdog. Wake Forest has won five of the last six home games against the Hurricanes.
Miami and Wake Forest are tied with Clemson and Duke for the best mark against the spread among ACC teams. The Demon Deacons have covered in six of their first eight games at home.
Questions of the Day
Which ACC team has the most impressive home-court advantage?
Duke is 39-4 in its last 43 home games with Wake Forest 39-5 at home during its stretch.
Which ACC team has the most experienced point guard?
North Carolina’s RJ Davis has started in 94 games and played in 114 in his four seasons with the Tar Heels.
