The UNC Tar Heels take on the Pitt Panthers in Pittsburgh, PA. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Pitt is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -150. The total is set at 153 points.
Here’s my UNC vs. Pitt predictions and college basketball picks for January 28, 2025.
UNC vs Pitt Prediction
My Pick: Pitt -3.5 (Play to -4)
My UNC vs Pitt best bet is on the Panthers spread, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
UNC vs Pitt Odds, Betting Lines, Spread
| UNC Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 153 -110o / -110u | +125 |
| Pitt Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 153 -110o / -110u | -150 |
- UNC vs Pitt spread: Pitt -2.5
- UNC vs Pitt over/under: 153 points
- UNC vs Pitt moneyline: Pittsburgh -150, UNC +125
- UNC vs Pitt best bet: Pitt -3.5 (Play to -4)
UNC vs Pitt NCAAB Preview
It’s fairly obvious that North Carolina has struggled on the interior post-Armando Bacot, as the combination of Ven-Allen Lubin, Jalen Washington and Jae’Lyn Withers hasn’t lived up to expectations.
In fact, the Tar Heels opted to start four guards — and their four best players — in their last game against Boston College.
UNC also doesn’t have great floor spacing. Cade Tyson is averaging less than 10 minutes per game, and freshman Drake Powell won’t play over Ian Jackson, RJ Davis, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau.
Ultimately, the Tar Heels have a lot of issues to work through, and that’s shown in their last three games against Stanford (loss), Wake Forest (loss) and Boston College (overtime win).
The Tar Heels are a name only right now, and while they need to rack up victories if they want to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, Pitt also finds itself in a similar position.
The Panthers can match the Tar Heels in the backcourt thanks to the presence of both Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett. They also have Damian Dunn and Brandin Cummings as depth options.
They’re formidable on the interior with Cameron Corhen and Guillermo Diaz Graham, but like Carolina, most of their production comes from the backcourt.
Pitt ranks fifth in Haslametrics’ away/home-court advantage — a significant advantage — and it prefers a much slower game pace compared to the Tar Heels, who are 14th in adjusted tempo.
At the Petersen Events Center, I trust Jeff Capel’s experienced backcourt to control the tempo, dominate the paint and make life difficult for Davis on the offensive end.
As weird as it seems, the Tar Heels are still finding their true identity in late January, and the fact that they’re facing Duke on Saturday doesn’t help their case.
