The Saint Peter's Peacocks have already made history at the 2022 NCAA Tournament, and they will look to add to it on Sunday. Saint Peter's is the first No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to reach the Elite Eight, and the Peacocks will face the No. 8 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in a regional final matchup with a chance to make the Final Four. Saint Peter's is on a 10-game winning streak, improving to 22-11 this season, and the Peacocks have upset wins over Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue. North Carolina is 9-1 in the last 10 games, knocking off UCLA to reach the Elite Eight.
Tipoff is at 5:05 p.m. ET on CBS from Philadelphia. The Tar Heels are listed as eight-point favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 137 in the latest Saint Peter's vs. North Carolina odds. Before making any North Carolina vs. Saint Peter's picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $1,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Saint Peter's vs. UNC and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for UNC vs. Saint Peter's:
- Saint Peter's vs. North Carolina spread: UNC -8
- Saint Peter's vs. North Carolina over-under: 137 points
- SP: The Peacocks are 6-0 against the spread in neutral-site games
- UNC: The Tar Heels are 4-4 against the spread in neutral-site games
Why Saint Peter's can cover
The Peacocks are very good in key areas on both ends of the floor. Saint Peter's ranks in the top 20 of the country in free throw creation rate, and the Peacocks create extra opportunities with an impressive 31.4 percent offensive rebound rate. Saint Peter's also converts nearly 35 percent of 3-point attempts, and the Peacocks should benefit from a conservative North Carolina defense that ranks outside the top 300 in turnover creation rate (13.9 percent) and steal rate (7.5 percent).
Saint Peter's is also excellent on defense, ranking in the top 25 of the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. Opponents are shooting only 44.3 percent on two-point attempts and 29.3 percent on 3-point attempts against the Peacocks this season, with Saint Peter's ranking No. 7 in the nation in shooting efficiency allowed. Saint Peter's also creates havoc with a turnover rate north of 20 percent, and the Peacocks are strongly above-average in block rate (14.6 percent) and steal rate (10.7 percent) this season.
Why North Carolina can cover
North Carolina has a more complete statistical profile than Saint Peter's, headlined by the team's offensive efficiency. The Tar Heels are prolific, scoring 78.3 points per game, and North Carolina has four players averaging in double figures in scoring. North Carolina is a top-25 team in the country in free throw accuracy at 76.9 percent, and the Tar Heels are above-average in 3-point accuracy (36.3 percent), offensive rebound rate (30.9 percent), turnover rate (16.6 percent), and assist percentage. Saint Peter's ranks near the bottom of the nation in free throw prevention and defensive rebounding, opening the door for boosted efficiency.
On the opposite end, North Carolina is No. 2 in the nation in defensive rebound rate at 78.6 percent, and the Tar Heels are No. 8 in the country in free throw rate allowed. North Carolina is above-average in two-point shooting allowed and block rate, with Saint Peter's falling well below the national average in two-point accuracy and turnover rate. The Peacocks also have 13.2 percent of their shots blocked, one of the worst marks in the country.
How to make North Carolina vs. Saint Peter's picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 136 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Saint Peter's vs. UNC? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
