North Carolina vs. Wake Forest - Sunday January 11th ‘09 8:00p
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Now we feel that the North Carolina Tar Heels are the best team in the country, but we think that they will have there hands full with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons tonight, and an outright upset would not shock us one bit.

You see, while North Carolina has gotten all of the national publicity, Wake Forest has quietly gotten off to a 13-0 start. They say that defense wins championships, and Wake Forest currently ranks first in the nation in defensive efficiency, limiting their opponents to .821 points per possession. Comparatively, UNC ranks 26 in defensive PPP at .893.

This is not to say that Wake cannot keep pace with Carolina offensively, as the Deacons are averaging 85.2 points per game vs. Division I opponents on an incredible 51.2 percent shooting from the floor. It is this balance between offense and defense that always makes Wake Forest a dangerous team when they are underdogs.

Now North Carolina leads the country in scoring at 93.1 points, and while they are shooting en excellent 49.8 percent, that figure is actually slightly less than Wake. Thus, as great as the Heels are, they can be had by a team that can slow them down, and the Deacs are certainly capable of that based on their defensive numbers.

Also, defensive shooting percentage favors Wake, as they are limiting Division I opponents to 36.4 percent shooting while North Carolina is allowing those opponents to hit 39.7 percent. Add in home court advantage and Wake Forest offers lots of value as underdogs here.

College Basketball Free Pick: Wake Forest +5 (-110) - Courtesy of LT Profits
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