UNC vs Charleston Odds and Picks (Nov. 16)

• Two teams enjoying season-opening win streaks clash on Tuesday as the North Carolina Tar Heels visit College of Charleston as road favorites
• UNC has disappointed sports bettors during its 2-0 SU start while the Cougars aim to win four in a row out of the gate for the first time in 19 years
• Read on for all the odds and trends ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup at TD Arena

The College of Charleston Cougars will be aiming to open their season with four consecutive straight up wins for the first time since 2002 when they entertain the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday night as 12-point home underdogs.

Tip off is set for 8:30pm ET on Tuesday night on the Cougars’ home court at TD Arena.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Charleston Cougars Odds

Odds at FanDuel as of November 16, 2021.

Tar Heels vs Cougars Betting Trends

Tuesday night’s matchup marks the second meeting between these two teams in as many years. The Tar Heels romped to a 79-60 victory as 17.5-point home chalk last November in their first clash with the Cougars since 2010. However, it is Charleston that has historically held the edge at the sportsbooks when facing UNC, going 4-2-1 against the spread over their past seven meetings, including an 82-79 upset win as massive 13.5-point underdogs in their last home date, back in 2010.

In addition, five of their past eight head-to-head matchups have been decided by six or fewer points. Low scoring has also been a consistent theme when these two teams meet. The Cougars and Tar Heels have combined to score 143 or fewer total points in each of their past two tilts, and in six of eight all-time meetings.

North Carolina Tar Heels Outlook

The Tar Heels hit the road for the first time this season after opening their schedule with back-to-back SU wins. However, the inconsistency that plagued UNC at the sportsbooks last season has carried over into the new campaign. The Tar Heels fell well short of covering as massive 24-point chalk in last Friday’s 94-87 win over the visiting Brown Bears, and now sports a dismal 3-10 ATS record while pegged as double-digit favourites since the end of the 2018-19 season.

The Brown Bears found their way to the rim again and again against #UNC on Friday night. On the Tar Heels' search for a defensive identity: https://t.co/OjQWMVFdpU pic.twitter.com/tBwAhXmv47

— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) November 13, 2021

UNC has climbed one spot this week to No. 18 on the AP Top 25 despite needing to rally to overcome a second-half deficit against Brown. However, the squad has not fared so well in the Kenpom ratings, where they lag at a distant 105th in adjusted defence, and 50th overall.

#UNC’s Armando Bacot was terrific throughout the entire game against Brown. Bacot kept the tar heels in the game when the team needed it most with a near perfect 10-11 FG. According to @dadgumboxscores, this .909 FG % is the 4th highest percentage by any player in the Dean Dome🔥 pic.twitter.com/xQueM9bgOI

— tarheelupdate (@tarheelupdate) November 14, 2021

The Tar Heels also sit well off the pace in the national championship odds as a lengthy +3750 bet. However, the team has enjoyed some solid offensive performances in the early going. Big man Armando Bacot needed just 27 minutes of playing time on Friday night to record his first double-double of the season, draining 22 points and adding 10 rebounds. No sophomore guard RJ Davis led the attack, with a game-high 26 points.

College of Charleston Cougars Outlook

The Cougars improved their unblemished SU record to 3-0 with Saturday’s 79-72 victory over Loyola-Maryland, but suffered their first ATS loss of the season while failing to cover as 9.5-point chalk. Despite handing sports bettors that disappointment, Charleston has shown promise in the early going. The Cougars have yet to trail after halftime through their first three outings, and have claimed victory by an average margin of 16 points during their season-opening surge.

North Carolina 79, Charleston 60

Freshman guard Caleb Love scored 17 points and UNC ran off 17 straight second-half points to beat College of Charleston 79-60.
https://t.co/8QesSQxKwr

— D1SportsNet (@d1sportsnet) November 26, 2020

That marks a dramatic turnaround for this program after they limped to a 9-10 overall SU record last season. However, this team has plenty of work to do to flip the script on a 10-game SU losing streak against nationally ranked opponents, with eight of those defeats coming by at least 12 points.

Charleston…. meet John Meeks.

Cougs up 11-0 out of the gate & Meeks has seven of the 11.

He's a beast.#OurCity🌴🏀 pic.twitter.com/6TuSdorY9G

— Charleston Basketball (@CofCBasketball) November 12, 2021

One huge positive so far for Charleston has been the offensive production that has come from up and down the lineup. Big man John Meeks has steadily led the offence while averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game. But it has been solid performances further down the roster that have made the difference, with almost 53% of the Cougars’ point production to date coming from off the bench.

The Pick: Cougars +12.5 (-102); UNDER 161.5 (-110)