The SEC-ACC Challenge is once again the highlight of the college basketball schedule. The SEC won nine of the 10 games on Tuesday, already sealing the crown over the ACC. Nevertheless, there are two heavyweight matchups on Wednesday with North Carolina hosting Alabama and Duke hosting Auburn. We’ve got a betting preview and a player prop for both games.
#10 Alabama (6-2) at #20 North Carolina (4-3)
North Carolina will be happy to be back home after losing to both Auburn and Michigan State in Maui last week. The Tar Heels also lost to Kansas early in the season, so they’ve faced plenty of quality teams but haven’t been able to notch a win against any of them. North Carolina is missing a consistent inside scorer while R.J. Davis is not yet living up to his potential, shooting just 27.5% from the perimeter. However, an up-tempo game with Alabama could be what the Tar Heels need to get going. Alabama has also underachieved a little, going 3-5 against the spread. The Crimson Tide fell short in a road game against Purdue and is coming off a neutral-site loss to Oregon. Alabama isn’t shooting as well from the perimeter as most would have expected. Mark Sears, in particular, is shooting under 30% from three-point range after shooting 43.6% last season. That’s holding the Crimson Tide back right now and could bite them on the road against a quality UNC team on Wednesday.
Pick: North Carolina -2
R.J. Davis (North Carolina) Under 21.5 Points
As mentioned, Davis isn’t quite matching the numbers he put up last season. He’s not shooting a high percentage, especially from outside, which should keep him from exceeding 20 points against Alabama. In theory, a high-scoring game with the Tide could elevate his numbers a little. But the Tar Heels have scored at least 85 points in all but one game this season with Davis scoring more than 20 points just twice. He’s been held to 16 points or less in four of UNC’s seven games, including games against Auburn, Michigan State, and Kansas. With the Tar Heels playing another quality opponent, it might be wise to fade Davis until he can prove that he can still score 20-plus points consistently.
#2 Auburn (7-0) at #9 Duke (5-2)
The Blue Devils are loaded with talent but still missing a signature win. That road win over Arizona doesn’t look that impressive with the Wildcats now sitting at 3-4. The freshman brigade is still leading the way, although Cooper Flagg has been a little inconsistent, scoring just nine points in a blowout win over Seattle last time out. Duke’s interior presence is also a question mark after freshman Khaman Maluach was held to four points and one rebound in a loss to Kansas. That could be an issue against Johni Broome, who is averaging 20.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. Auburn also has a nice contingent of perimeter players who are helping the Tigers to average nearly twice as many assists as turnovers. Keep in mind Auburn already has wins over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina, and Memphis. Even if this is their first true road game, the Tigers have proven themselves against quality teams. They are ready to handle all that comes with playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Pick: Auburn +2.5
Johni Broome (Auburn) Over 11.5 Rebounds
Even against a tough schedule, Broome has been a monster on the boards, even in some of Auburn’s toughest games. He pulled down 19 rebounds against North Carolina and had 16 more against Memphis in the Maui Invitational final. Broome has amassed 12 or more rebounds in four of his last five games, making this a safe pick regardless of the opponent. While Duke has some good rebounders, they may not be able to handle Broome with the way he was racking up rebounds in Maui last week.
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