UNC Tar Heels Basketball Betting

North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball is one of the most storied programs in college basketball. This year coach Hubert Davis hopes to lead the team back to the NCAA tournament once again after last year’s Sweet Sixteen appearance. It is the first full year of legal sports betting in North Carolina as well, meaning lots of opportunities to bet on UNC basketball all season. Here’s a full guide to UNC basketball betting at the NC sportsbook sites and apps.

How to bet on UNC basketball online

With legalized sports betting in North Carolina, Tar Heels fans have multiple ways to bet on their games or season. Here’s a brief look at some of the most popular NCAA basketball bet types and what they involve.

North Carolina Tar Heels moneyline

The moneyline bet is one of the most straightforward and popular bet types. It involves choosing which team will win the game outright. With moneyline bets, the favorites will be listed with negative odds and underdogs with positive odds.

Let’s say UNC is playing Duke this weekend and the Blue Devils are the favorite. The moneyline odds might be -140 for Duke and +175 for UNC. Those odds tell you how much a winning bet will pay. If you bet $140 on Duke to win at -140 and the Devils win, the bet would pay $100. If you bet $100 on UNC at +175 and the Heels won, you’d win $175. The odds and payouts are proportional, meaning if you bet less you’d still win the same amount percentage-wise (e.g., a $10 winning bet on UNC would pay $17.50).

North Carolina Tar Heels point spread

The point spread bet works differently than the moneyline bet in that the margin of victory matters. When you make a spread bet, you’re betting on one team to win by a certain number of points or not to lose by more than a certain number of points.

Take our example above in which Duke is a favorite over UNC. The point spread might be listed as Duke -4.5, UNC +4.5, meaning Duke is a 4.5-point favorite and Carolina a 4.5-point underdog. If you bet on Duke here, they must win by 5 points or more for your bet to win. If you bet on the Heels, you win if they avoid losing by more than 4 points or if they win outright. Point spread bets usually have similar odds for both sides, often around -110.

North Carolina Tar Heels totals

The totals bet, also known as the over/under bet, is a bet on the total number of points both teams will score. You’ll also see many prop bets essentially work like totals bets where you are given a total and are wagering on the result to finish over or under that total.

UNC-Duke games often are high-scoring, so the total for an upcoming clash might be listed at something like 178.5. If you bet the “over,” you’re betting on both teams to combine to score 179 points or more. If you bet the “under,” you’re betting they won’t together score more than 178. Again, with totals bets both sides usually have similar odds, often around -110.

North Carolina Tar Heels prop bets

Proposition bets, aka prop bets, can be a fun way to get involved in NCAA basketball games, and they can range from light-hearted to statistics-focused. These bets can be challenging to research, so it’s important to find a sportsbook that offers a variety of prop bets with competitive odds. Be aware many sites offer bonuses and boosts you can apply when betting props, so check the promotions section when doing so. That’s true also of parlays, including same game parlays — look for those boosts!

Prop bets are wagers that typically don’t depend on the game result but instead focus on statistical performances by individual players or teams. For example, you can bet on RJ Davis to score over or under 21.5 points in a game (a player prop), the Heels to score over or under 79.5 points (a team prop), or which team will reach 20 points first (a game prop). Note how in each case it doesn’t matter who wins the game, only if your particular prop succeeds or fails.

North Carolina Tar Heels futures bets

Futures betting is another option whenever you wager on the Heels. As the name suggests, a futures bet is on an outcome that won’t be decided until a future date. For college basketball, sportsbooks usually offer futures bets before and during the season on conference winners, teams to make the Final Four, and the NCAA champion. Early in the 2024-25 season, here were some futures odds on UNC at FanDuel Sportsbook:

  • To win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title: +2000
  • To reach the Final Four: +2600
  • To win the NCAA Championship: +10000

For college hoops, you don’t see too many individual futures (e.g., certain players to win awards, achieve statistical milestones, etc.), but those are quite common when betting on the NBA. FanDuel does offer futures betting on the John Wooden Award, though, and had RJ Davis listed at +25000 to win it early in the year.

North Carolina Tar Heels live betting

Live betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team is another popular option for fans who want to place bets after a game has tipped off. Live betting allows fans to place bets on various aspects of the game as it unfolds, including the moneyline, spread, and totals bets as well as various props.

Live betting odds can change quickly during a game, so it’s important to stay current on the latest scores and stats to make informed bets. By using a NC sportsbook app, you can follow the game on TV and place live bets on your mobile device as you watch.

North Carolina Tar Heels basketball coaching staff

The North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team has a rich history of success, and its coaching staff has played an essential role in that success. Here are the current coaches.

  • Head Coach: Hubert Davis
  • Assistant Head Coach: Brad Frederick
  • Assistant Coach: Jeff Lebo
  • Assistant Coach: Sean May
  • Assistant Coach: Pat Sullivan
  • Assistant Coach: Marcus Paige

Here is a list of all the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball coaches and the years they coached in chronological order:

  • Nat Cartmell (1910-1918)
  • Howell Peacock (1919-1921)
  • Norman Shepard (1921-1922)
  • Charles Doak (1922-1932)
  • Walter Skidmore (1932-1935)
  • Ben Carnevale (1935-1944)
  • Tom Scott (1944-1946)
  • Carl Snavely (1946-1952)
  • Frank McGuire (1952-1961)
  • Dean Smith (1961-1997)
  • Bill Guthridge (1997-2000)
  • Matt Doherty (2000-2003)
  • Roy Williams (2003-2021)
  • Hubert Davis (2021-present)

Where do the Tar Heels play their home games?

The Tar Heels play their home games at the Dean E. Smith Center, named after the legendary coach who led the team to two National Championships. Here are some details about the arena:

Dean E. Smith Center

  • Address: 300 Skipper Bowles Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
  • Owner: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Operator: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Capacity: 21,750
  • Opened: January 18, 1986
  • Construction cost: $33 million ($79 million in 2021 dollars)

How to watch and listen to North Carolina Tar Heels basketball games

If you’re a North Carolina Tar Heels basketball fan, there are several ways to stay tuned into the games. Here are some options for watching and listening to Tar Heels basketball games:

For watching:

  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPNU
  • CBS
  • ABC
  • TNT
  • TBS

Some streaming services where Tar Heels games can also be found include:

  • ESPN+
  • fuboTV
  • Sling TV
  • Hulu Live TV
  • DirecTV Stream

If you prefer to listen to the games on the radio, you can tune into:

  • WCHL 97.9 FM (Chapel Hill)
  • WMFD 630 AM (Wilmington)

To find the broadcasted games via streaming services, you can use:

  • Sirius XM
  • TuneIn

A brief history of the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is home to one of the country’s most successful men’s basketball programs, the Tar Heels. The team has a rich and storied history that dates back to 1921 when basketball became an official varsity sport at the university.

Since then, the Tar Heels have won six NCAA National Championships, made 21 Final Four appearances and have had some of the best players in college basketball history wear the Carolina blue. The many accolades include:

  • UNC National Championships*: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017
  • UNC Final Four appearances: 1946, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2022
  • UNC players in the Basketball Hall of Fame: Billy Cunningham, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Michael JordanCharlie ScottBobby Jones, Vince Carter, Walter Davis
  • UNC coaches in the Basketball Hall of Fame: Dean SmithFrank McGuireLarry BrownRoy WilliamsGeorge KarlBen Carnevale

*UNC also lists 1924 (before the NCAA tournament began in the 1939) as a championship year for the program.

North Carolina Tar Heels basketball FAQs

How much are Tar Heels basketball tickets?

The cost to see a UNC men’s basketball game at the “Dean Dome” ranges from as low as $15 to as high as $225. Prices vary depending on the opponent, and of course for big games such as against Duke you’ll see seats going for hundreds of dollars (or more).

Who is the winningest coach in Tar Heels basketball history?

Dean Smith, the legendary coach who led the Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997, is the winningest coach in the program’s history. He compiled a record of 879-254 during his time at UNC.

How many NCAA Tournaments have the Tar Heels played in?

Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Tar Heels had reached in the NCAA Tournament 53 times. They made the Final Four 21 times and have won the championship six times.

How many Tar Heels players have been named consensus All-Americans?

Over the history of the UNC men’s basketball program, there have been 33 players named consensus All-Americans. Tyler Hansbrough earned the honor four times during his career. Phil Ford and Sam Perkins earned it three times, as did Jack Cobb during the 1920s. Michael Jordan (who played three years at UNC before going pro), earned the honor twice.

How many Tar Heels players have played in the NBA or ABA?

According to Basketball Reference, a total of 103 UNC players have played in either the NBA or ABA. Of that total, there are 14 Tar Heels currently playing in the NBA, including Cole Anthony, Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock, Cameron Johnson, and Coby White.

About the Author

Martin Harris

Martin Harris is a writer and teacher who has reported on poker, online gambling, and sports betting since the mid-2000s. Once a full-time academic (Ph.D., English), he currently teaches part-time in the American Studies program at UNC Charlotte. His book “Poker & Pop Culture” was published by D&B Books in 2019.