North Carolina vs. Kentucky odds, picks and prediction

The North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2) and the Kentucky Wildcats (1-4) will tip off Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on a neutral floor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Below, we analyze the North Carolina-Kentucky college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The Tar Heels are ranked 21st in Paste BN Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll.

North Carolina vs. Kentucky:Betting odds, spread andlines

Odds via BetMGM; access Paste BN Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:45 a.m. ET.

• Money line : North Carolina -160 (bet $160 to win $10) | Kentucky +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
• Against the spread/ATS : North Carolina -3 (-110) | Kentucky +3 (-110)
• Over/Under : 141.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

North Carolina vs. Kentucky: Three things to know

1. North Carolina failed to cover as a 24.5-point favorite in its last outing, a 73-67 home victory over North Carolina Central Dec. 12. The Tar Heels led by 15 with 1:27 to go before the Eagles closed on a 9-0 run. The UNC win snapped a two-game skid, which included losses to then-No. 17 Texas and No. 3 Iowa. Senior F Garrison Brooks' 11.8 points per game lead four Tar Heels who are averaging at least 11.0 PPG.
2. Kentucky enters on a four-game losing streak, last falling at home to Notre Dame 64-63 as a 7-point favorite Dec. 12. The 'Cats rallied from a 48-26 halftime deficit and had a chance to win, but senior F Olivier Sarr's 15-footer at the buzzer didn't drop. Kentucky, which lost eight of its top nine scorers from last season, have also lost to Richmond, then-No. 7 Kansas and Georgia Tech. Freshmen Gs B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke lead the Wildcats in scoring with 14.4 PPG and 13.8 PPG, respectively.
3. The Wildcats are 3-1 vs. the Tar Heels in their last 4 head-to-head meetings since 2014. Kentucky took the last matchup 80-72 at Chicago's United Center on Dec. 22, 2018.

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North Carolina vs. Kentucky: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

North Carolina 66, Kentucky 61

Money line (ML)

AVOID. I'm calling for a North Carolina victory, but the Heels aren't worthy of a -160 wager the way they've been playing so far.

Against the spread (ATS)

Back NORTH CAROLINA -3 ( -110) with a small-unit play - half your usual wager. UNC is 2-3-1 ATS, while Kentucky is 2-3 ATS. Both teams are struggling and I'm not a fan of backing teams that are trying to figure things out. Experience is why I'm giving the Heels a slight nod.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 140.5 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY - 1½ times your usual wager. North Carolina owns a 1-5 O/U record; Kentucky is 0-5. North Carolina averages 74.0 PPG but is shooting 27% (24-for-89) from 3-point range. Kentucky, which is averaging 66.4 PPG, is even worse behind the arc, hitting just 24.4% (22-for-90).

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