North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh prediction: Ride the favorite Wednesday, Feb. 1

After a slow start to the college basketball season, it looked as if North Carolina might be due for a rebuilding year just months after its surprising run to the national championship game. Instead, UNC has rebounded over the last two months and seems to be hitting its stride ahead of a revenge spot against ACC rival Pittsburgh. 

It wasn’t long ago that the Tar Heels were mired in a four-game losing streak that sent them spiraling from No. 1 in the polls to unranked within a couple of weeks. That must have lit a fire under Hubert Davis’s crew, as North Carolina has won 10 of 12 games since with a renewed focus on attacking the boards and forcing its way to the line. 

North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh prediction (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

It helps to have Armando Bacot healthy after the star big man suffered a nasty ankle injury last month. He’s looked good in four games since, averaging 18.8 points and 14.5 rebounds on a stellar 61.7 percent shooting to spark UNC’s current four-game win streak.

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Betting on College Basketball?

On the other side, Pittsburgh hasn’t exactly looked sharp since beating the Tar Heels by two points on Dec. 30. The Panthers have gone 5-3 since that win, with three of those wins coming by one possession, and they rank 71st in T-Rank’s power rating over that stretch. By comparison, UNC ranks 35th in that same period and is well positioned to extend its perfect 10-0 record at home. 

North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh pick

North Carolina -8.5 (BetMGM)