UNC basketball vs. Furman: Preview, odds, how to watch tonight’s potential trap game
North Carolina received the second most votes of any team outside the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday, which is still just a nice way of saying the Tar Heels aren’t ranked.
They haven’t been since the second poll of the season after they lost to Purdue and Tennessee on consecutive days in the Hall of Fame Tip Off at the Mohegan Sun. But this is the week the Heels can re-insert themselves into the national picture.
Carolina (7-2) has won four straight games heading into Tuesday’s 7 p.m. matchup with Furman. A date with No. 4 UCLA awaits it on Saturday in Las Vegas in the CBS Classic.
For a team looking to prove its worth, Saturday’s game against the Bruins looms large. UNC has yet to get a Quad I win in the NCAA’s NET rankings, which factor into NCAA Tournament seeding. (The win over Michigan could end up qualifying as such, but is currently depreciating in value.) UCLA, coming off a Final Four appearance last season, will be another barometer-type game where Carolina can see where it measures up nationally.
With so much potentially at stake against UCLA, that places Furman in the trap game category. The Paladins (7-3) are capable of spoiling what could be a big week for Carolina. Just ask Louisville.
Furman defeated the Cardinals 80-72 in overtime last month at the KFC Yum! Center. It was the first of four overtime games the Paladins have played in — they’ve won three of those games. Furman has a veteran lineup that includes four senior starters, so playing in close games won’t shake them.
The Heels will have to be sharp to avoid an upset in the Dean E. Smith Center.
Are you a cord cutter?
If your preferred method of watching games involves streaming, there are options for that, too.
The game is also available to ESPN+ subscribers via the ESPN App and ESPN.com. The link to watch it is here.
Additionally, you can keep up with the game by following News & Observer reporter C.L. Brown (@clbrownhoops) on Twitter. He will be at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill covering the game.
UNC vs. Furman
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Betting line: UNC is a 10-point favorite.
Series history: Carolina leads the series 23-2.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 2:49 PM with the headline "UNC basketball vs. Furman: Preview, odds, how to watch tonight’s potential trap game."