The North Carolina Tar Heels return home to the Dean Dome for their first ACC home game of 2025, facing the SMU Mustangs on Tuesday, January 7 for a late tip-off at 9 p.m.
UNC is coming off another jaw-dropping result, needing a 4-point play from Elliot Cadeau to escape. Our Lady Saturday with a 74-73 victory. SMU (11-3, 2-1 ACC) had its “Welcome to the ACC” moment Saturday, getting slammed by 27 at home against Duke.
North Carolina (9-6, 2-1) is starting to find lineup combinations that finally work, none more important than the departure of Ian Jackson. The Tar Heels continue to miss defensive stalwart Seth Trimble, but Jackson’s rise takes their offense to another level.
UNC has a brief 2-1 advantage against SMU all-time, but the two teams haven’t played since the 20th century. The Mustangs aren’t as good as their record shows, while North Carolina has a ton of work to do to become an NCAA Tournament team.
Will Jalen Washington continue his recent streak of strong play as the Tar Heels’ starting center? Will SMU’s height prevail? Can the Mustangs show last Saturday that it was a fluke, even though they were playing a Blue Devils team among the favorites for an NCAA championship?
Whatever happens tonight, North Carolina faces another must-win situation, especially if it wants to play basketball into March. UNC will play in front of the Tar Heel faithful – and with students returning to class tomorrow, count on the student section being full for one last night of winter break.
Be sure to keep reading, as we bring you the game day odds for tonight’s ACC battle.
North Carolina vs. SMU game odds:
All NCAA odds via PariMGM:
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Point spread: North Carolina, -6.5
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Financial line: SMU +220, North Carolina -275
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Plus-minus: 166.5 points total
North Carolina vs. SMU injury updates:
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North Carolina, Seth Trimble (upper body, questionable)
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SMU – No injury updates
North Carolina vs. SMU Prediction, Choose:
UNC enters tonight’s conference game coming off a close and necessary victory at Notre Dame. The Tar Heels should therefore feel more confident about their ability to win close games.
North Carolina hasn’t faced SMU since the 20th century, but despite the Mustangs’ 11 wins, they aren’t as good as their record shows. UNC enjoys another high-scoring night, but it will need to find ways to slow down a Mustang offense that can score at will.
A new Tar Heel steps in and adds another dimension to the offense.
Prediction: North Carolina 79 – SMU 72
North Carolina vs. SMU Channel, Start Time, Streaming:
The UNC-SMU game begins at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 8 and can be seen on the ACC Network.
This article was originally published on Tar Heels Wire: UNC-SMU basketball predictions, odds and game day picks
