NCAA Basketball: Top 10 “Win Total” bets to avoid for 2021-22 season
By Ian Mumm
7. UNC Tar Heels: Line = 23.5 Wins
Despite the deepest frontcourts in the nation last season, North Carolina could not find consistency on the court. Despite their issues, the Tar Heels made the Field of 68 and still tallied 18 wins. The offseason transition for top assistant Hubert Davis to head coach in the wake of Hall-of-Famer Roy Williams immediate retirement has the program looking in a new and hopefully smoother direction.
Along with the coaching change, key frontcourt pieces Garrison Brooks (Mississippi State), Walker Kessler (Auburn), and Day’ron Sharpe (NBA) all left the program. Dawson Garcia (Marquette) and Brady Manek (Oklahoma) replace their spots via transfer and offer a more versatile frontcourt look for this year’s team. The backcourt has also increased their stable of talent with a strong recruiting class but getting them to play cohesively is where many bettors will hesitate with this line.
The coaching transition would normally be a big adjustment for many programs collectively and for individual players to find comfort on the court in their new roles. As a result of Davis being on North Carolina’s coaching staff for years, the familiarity and expectations are already in place for this group to hit the ground running. Guards like Caleb Love and RJ Davis, despite respectable freshman production, are more likely to turn in stronger seasons in their 2nd year with increased comfort on the court and with the new coaching staff.
These considerations will vastly benefit a team that found difficulties scoring the ball on a regular basis and was one of the worst perimeter-scoring teams in the nation a season ago. With those troubles, North Carolina was blown out (10+ points) only five times in 2021 including games in the NCAA Tournament. Likewise, they lost another five by five points or less and can easily turn their fortunes around with marginal improvements shooting the ball. Expect different results from some familiar faces…
Avoid Under 23.5