The North Carolina Tar Heels are on the road tonight in college basketball action, taking on the Louisville Cardinals. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the betting odds for the game have the Louisville as a small favorite to a pick ‘em.

North Carolina will enter tonight’s game ranked second nationally. The Tar Heels have started the season off well and are running through the ACC season to this point, winning all eight games to date. It’s interesting, then, that Louisville comes into this contest being favored over one of the top teams in the country.

The Cardinals just laid an egg on Saturday when they were beat by visiting Virginia 63-47. Prior to that loss the Cardinals had won four straight and played well offensively, albeit against terrible defensive squads.

Louisville will have to play the ultimate defensive game in this one while still putting a ton of points on the board when they have the basketball. North Carolina comes in averaging almost 86 points per game, the fourth-best number in Division 1 college basketball. The Tar Heels are shooting better than 48 percent from the floor but could be scoring even more points if they weren’t shooting just 30 percent from downtown.

There will be a sense of urgency with Louisville here, playing the highly-ranked Tar Heels. North Carolina’s defense isn’t exactly great, but can Louisville come out and find a way to score 70-plus points in this one? It’s going to take more than a game in the 60s for the Cardinals to beat North Carolina.

The Heels have five guys averaging double digits per game, they have more offensive options than Louisville. Plus they rebound the basketball very well, both will be important tonight.

Free Pick: North Carolina

$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free! 

Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for the CBB and NFL seasons with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore.