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The No. 4 seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons (21-10) and No. 5 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (21-12) will meet in a crucial ACC Tournament quarterfinal matchup on Thursday afternoon. Both teams likely need a win on Thursday to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive in what is the first tournament meeting between these schools in 25 years. North Carolina missed out on a bye after finishing fifth in the regular season, but it opened its hopeful tournament run with a 76-56 win over No. 12 seed Notre Dame on Wednesday. Wake Forest won two of its final three games during the regular season, including a 69-43 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday.  

Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. North Carolina is favored by 5.5 points in the latest Wake Forest vs. North Carolina odds, while the over/under is 148 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any North Carolina vs. Wake Forest picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters conference championship week on a 225-165 betting roll (+1873) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on North Carolina-Wake Forest. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:

  • North Carolina vs. Wake Forest spread: North Carolina -5.5
  • North Carolina vs. Wake Forest over/under: 148 points
  • North Carolina vs. Wake Forest money line: North Carolina: -267, Wake Forest: +215
  • North Carolina vs. Wake Forest picks: See picks here
  • North Carolina vs. Wake Forest streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why North Carolina can cover

North Carolina was all business in its 76-56 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday, as Jae'Lyn Withers knocked down a career-high seven 3-pointers. It was the first time Withers had finished with more than four triples in a game, and his scoring boost could be a key factor on Thursday as well. Junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 8 of 13 from the floor.    

It was a somewhat quiet day for star guard RJ Davis, who scored 13 points on just seven shots. Davis averages 17.1 points and 3.9 assists per game, scoring 20 points against Duke in the regular-season finale. The Tar Heels are 14-5 in their last 19 games against Wake Forest, and they have covered the spread in six of their last seven games this season. See which team to pick here. 

Why Wake Forest can cover

Wake Forest received a double bye into the quarterfinals after posting its best regular-season finish since the 2008-09 season. The Demon Deacons likely need a win on Thursday to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, though. They are coming off one of their best performances of the campaign, cruising to a 69-43 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday.  

Senior guard Hunter Sallis was an All-ACC selection for the second year in a row, averaging 18 points per game while leading the team in scoring on 16 occasions. Cameron Hildreth also provides valuable experience, as he will tie the Wake Forest record for games played (131). The Demon Deacons won the lone regular-season matchup between these teams, as Hildreth scored 20 points. See which team to pick here. 

How to make North Carolina vs. Wake Forest picks

The model has simulated Wake Forest vs. North Carolina 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins North Carolina vs. Wake Forest, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Wake Forest vs. North Carolina spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 225-165 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.