The No. 1 team in the country still does not look anything close to it. Everyone is waiting to see what this North Carolina team is capable of after last season’s run to the NCAA Tournament national championship game as a No. 8 seed.
This year’s team has not yet found the groove last season’s team discovered in March Madness. Will things change against Iowa State on Friday in Portland? Let’s take a closer look at this matchup and the college basketball odds.
Let’s check the latest college basketball odds, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for North Carolina vs Iowa State. We’ve plenty of NCAA basketball odds for you to consider.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels led Portland 84-81 with 50 seconds left before holding on for an 89-81 win Thursday. North Carolina trailed 73-69 with 5:40 left. While they moved to 5-0 with the win, no one was impressed.
North Carolina’s run to the national championship game last season was marked by a tough defense and a newly discovered ability to compete extremely well at that end of the floor.
This season’s North Carolina team has not found that hunger or effectiveness on defense.
The main reason North Carolina was able to escape with the win over Portland was that Pete Nance, the transfer from Northwestern, poured in 28 points on 8-of-13 field goal shooting plus 7-of-9 free throw shooting.
Nance has replaced former Tar Heel Brady Manek as the wing and corner shooter in the offense, Caleb Love remains the point guard, and Armando Bacot is the big man in the middle.
Carolina clearly has quality offensive weapons, but this team will struggle until the defense gets in gear. For those who bet online, though, maybe over is the way to go in the UNC games.
Iowa State Cyclones
The Cyclones beat Villanova in overtime on Thursday, 81-79. The game was tied at 67 at the end of regulation, so the first 40 minutes were not particularly explosive.
The two teams did combine for 26 points in a high-octane overtime period, but most of the game was a rough outing for both offenses.
Iowa State hit only 28 percent of its 3-point shots, but the Cyclones stayed afloat in this game by winning more offensive rebounds (12 to 10) and forcing 18 Villanova turnovers.
Gabe Kalscheur, the transfer from Minnesota, scored 23 points to lead Iowa State, which will need to shoot better from the perimeter in this game against North Carolina if it wants a reasonable chance to win.
North Carolina vs Iowa State Game Injuries
North Carolina vs Iowa State Head-to-Head
These two schools have met four times, with North Carolina leading the series 3-1.
However, their most recent meeting was in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, where Iowa State grabbed its one win of the series, winning 85-83 in the second round to move to the Sweet 16.
North Carolina vs Iowa State Game Information
- Game: North Carolina vs Iowa State
- Location: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
- Day/Time: Friday, Nov. 25, 5:30 p.m. ET
- North Carolina vs Iowa State Live Stream: TBS.com
North Carolina vs Iowa State Betting Lines
North Carolina vs Iowa State Picks & Prediction
The Tar Heels keep living on the edge, so be wary if you’re betting on them in the sportsbook. Since Iowa State shot very poorly on Thursday, the Cyclones might be due for a better day from the field.
If that’s the case, Iowa State can probably cover the spread here, so take them with your college basketball picks.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are listed at -240 in our Vegas lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the North Carolina Tar Heels, you have a chance to win $42. The Iowa State Cyclones are +200, offering a chance to win $200 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the North Carolina Tar Heels a 70.59% chance to win, with the Iowa State Cyclones at 33.33%.
North Carolina vs Iowa State Trends
North Carolina vs Iowa State Edge
North Carolina vs Iowa State Results
North Carolina vs Iowa State Game Summary
