Yet again, Syracuse finds itself bouncing precariously on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Now, the Orange need to beat North Carolina in the second round of the ACC Tournament to keep their hopes of snagging an invite to the big dance alive.
The nationally televised contest tips off Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
The Tar Heels opened as seven-point favorites and now are laying 7.5. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is holding steady at 140.5.
Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine college hoops expert Josh Nagel -- who has put together an impressive 7-1 run picking college basketball games -- has to say. He has also nailed his past three picks involving the Tar Heels and just nailed Tuesday's game involving Syracuse.
Nagel picked the Orange as 3.5-point favorites against Wake Forest. He wisely recognized that Syracuse's half-court defense would shut down the struggling Demon Deacons, who had dropped six of their previous eight decisions. The result: Syracuse rolled 73-64, allowing Nagel to cover with ease.
Part of his success: Nagel has been entrenched in the handicapping industry for two decades. He has also covered college basketball on numerous platforms, giving him a bird's eye view that's unmatched. He knows when a line is way off.
Now he has examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Syracuse-North Carolina and locked in his confident against-the-spread pick.
Nagel knows North Carolina can cover the spread by knocking down 3-pointers against Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 defense. If the Tar Heels can make the Orange play man-to-man, the oversized UNC front court will create too many mismatches.
But Syracuse can stay within the spread -- or win outright -- by limiting turnovers. The Orange got very sloppy against Wake Forest, coughing up the rock 18 times. They won't get away with that against fierce Tar Heel defenders like Luke Maye, who averages one block and one steal.
So what side of Syracuse-North Carolina do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick by Nagel, who has absolutely crushed college basketball, and find out.
