North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Stanford Cardinal Betting Picks

The 2-0 North Carolina Tar Heels and 1-0 Stanford Cardinal will meet in round two of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday at 4:00 PM ET. The Tar Heels whooped up on UNLV to advance while the Cardinal beat Alabama by 22 points. Let’s dive into how this one will go down and who will end up covering the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of my CBB Picks and Predictions for the upcoming week of games.

• Tar Heels are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight-up win.
• Cardinal are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight-up win.
• Under is 4-0 in Tar Heels last 4 overall.
• Under is 4-1 in Cardinal last 5 neutral site games as an underdog.

The Tar Heels lost some key pieces from last season, but 2019 wasn’t one the fans want to remember anyway. Cole Anthony was fun, but he wasn’t much of a winner and he dragged this team into the trenches with his ball-dominant behavior. guarantee Coach Roy Williams will never have another PG like that. Incoming freshman PG Caleb Love is a beast, and while he can score, he’s also had four assists in each of the first two games. Love reminds me a lot more of Ty Lawson than he does Anthony. He’s joined on the perimeter by R.J. Davis, who has looked phenomenal through two games and it sure looks like he’s going to be the primary scorer.

You then have Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks down low, who are two of the more solidified big men in College Basketball. Bacot is more of a scorer while Brooks does it all. They’re joined by freshman Day’Ron Sharpe, who has been exclaimed as the best rebounder for UNC since Hansbrough. Andrew Platek rounds these guys out as a sharpshooter that plays tough defense. This UNC team is legit and they’re going to give Stanford problems.

This Stanford Cardinal team is a fascinating one, and they’re a squad I can see having a lot of success in March. Their most talented player is freshman Ziaire Williams was a top-5 recruit for many and he opened the season up with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists against a solid ‘Bama team.

He’s surrounded by experience and senior Oscar Da Silva is a beast down low. He averaged over 15 PPG a season ago and will surely make another leap with Williams there to draw attention away. At guard, senior Daejon Davis and junior Bryce Willis will both average double-figures. Davis is a phenomenal passer and defender while Willis can knock down five threes on any given night.

These are two programs I am very high on going into 2020. The Tar Heels are more balanced and far better than they were a year ago and the Cardinal have a stud freshman surrounded by experienced talent. Stanford is going to make this a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised if they beat North Carolina. They’re an experienced squad and Williams is as good as anyone on the court. Give me the Cardinal and four points.

Both of these offenses are solid, but so are the defenses. Nothing will come easy in the paint for either team and neither is knockdown from beyond the arc. I expect this to be a grind-it-out game and I strongly lean on the under.