A trip to the national championship game marked the conclusion of Hubert Davis’ first season as North Carolina’s coach. Much earlier than that, his second season came to an end.
After North Carolina finished 20-13 in the previous season and missed the NCAA tournament—becoming the first-ever preseason No. 1 team to do so—many doubts were raised about Davis.
At least things are going well so far in year three, which is a huge one.
With an overtime loss to a strong Villanova squad, North Carolina is 5-1 overall. Moreover, UNC hasn’t had the most difficult schedule, but that will change on Wednesday night. In the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Tar Heels take on Tennessee. At BetMGM, North Carolina is a slight 2.5-point favorite.
Tennessee is a hard-hitting, aggressive defense squad. Despite their defeats to Purdue and Kansas at the Maui Invitational, the Vols are still a contender for the SEC title. On KenPom, they are rated seventh. If North Carolina defeats the Volunteers, it will mark their greatest victory since defeating Duke in the 2022 Final Four (UNC did not defeat a team that placed in the top 30 in KenPom during the whole previous season).
The North Carolina squad this season appears to be more like the norm. From a distance, the Tar Heels are making better shots. Armando Bacot, the big man, is having a terrific start. Even though they haven’t had a huge victory yet, the Tar Heels seem good. Their best victory came against a faltering Arkansas squad.
That might not be the case on Wednesday night. Tennessee is going to put real and symbolic pressure on UNC. Determining if the Tar Heels are back is a fantastic game.
Here is a preview of Wednesday’s sports betting lineup:
Duke also needs to pass an exam.
Duke has a true road game against Arkansas, one of the wonderful early-season matchups forced by the ACC/SEC Challenge—especially for big teams that might not otherwise book them. It’s only 4-3 for Arkansas. As usual, the Razorbacks are loaded with talent, but under Eric Musselman, they have a tendency to start slowly and pick up steam in the middle of the season. Although Duke is a 5.5-point favorite, the contest won’t be simple. Despite a tight home loss to Arizona, the Blue Devils definitely appear extremely good. Duke is currently with Purdue (+1000) and Kansas (+1100) for the third-best national title odds at +1400.
NBA has seven games.
There are seven games on Wednesday in the NBA, following a thrilling Tuesday that saw the selection of the in-season tournament knockout round. A formidable 12-5 Philadelphia 76ers club hosting the 9-9 New Orleans Pelicans is the finest matchup. The favorites by 2.5 points are the 76ers.
NHL light night
For the NHL, just three games. Among them are a few respectable road underdogs. Against the New York Rangers, the 11-6-3 Detroit Red Wings are +170 underdogs. In addition, the 10-6-2 Washington Capitals are +170 against the Kings.
Which option is best?
Texas A&M is favored by 1.5 points over Virginia in another intriguing ACC/SEC Challenge match. Even though I don’t enjoy picking away teams in NCAA basketball, Virginia hasn’t impressed me thus far. Lead by All-American candidate Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M has a strong squad that should contend for the SEC championship. I predict the Aggies to win handily on the road.
