North Carolina Tar Heels vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 12/2/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV: ESPN

The North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1) are traveling to Rupp Arena on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats (5-2).

The North Carolina Tar Heels faced Michigan State and took a loss by a final of 74-58 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Tar Heels ended up with 14 and Michigan State finished the game with 17 fouls. They made 5 of their 10 shots from three-point range. Michigan State finished the game shooting 77.8% from the free throw line by making 7 of 9 shots. Furthermore, Michigan State totaled 33 rebounds (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Michigan State distributed 14 assists and had 2 steals in the game. When it comes to the defense, North Carolina allowed the other team to go 51.7% from the floor on 31 of 60 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists for this game while forcing 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they earned 27 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Tar Heels knocked down 12 of 17 attempts for a rate of 70.6%. North Carolina walked away from the game with a 38.2% field goal percentage (21 of 55) and converted 4 out of their 23 3-point shots.

Caleb Wilson is one player who was a major contributor in the game. He racked up 18 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 33 minutes and also grabbed 7 rebounds. He ended up going 46.2% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

North Carolina enters this one with a win-loss record of 6-1 on the year. They have an average of 83.3 points per contest (101st in the nation) on 46.8% from the field. The Tar Heels are hitting 31.8% on shots from distance (57 of 179) and 72.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, North Carolina is pulling down 43.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 116 assists for the season, which is 97th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.1 times per contest and as a team they commit 15.6 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Tar Heels are forcing their opponents into 10.9 turnovers every game and they draw 20.9 fouls. They are giving up 32.9% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 52nd in the country in points per game allowed (65.7). The Tar Heels defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 36.5% (167 of 457) and they surrender 33.7 boards per game as a squad. They currently rank 85th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 76 surrendered for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Kentucky Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 104-54 against Tennessee Tech. In reference to rebounding, Kentucky allowed Tennessee Tech to snag 20 in total (7 offensive). They went 21.4% from three-point range by connecting on 6 out of 28 and ended up going 2 out of 5 at the free throw line (40.0%). The Wildcats allowed Tennessee Tech to convert 23 of 69 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 33.3% in this contest. When all was said and done, the Wildcats ended up going 39 out of 66 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 59.1%. When talking about shooting from downtown, Kentucky buried 15 out of their 30 attempts (50.0%). They were able to knock down 11 of them for a rate of 84.6%. Tennessee Tech earned 13 personal fouls for the contest which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They turned the ball over 10 times, while recording 9 steals in this contest. The Wildcats pulled down 37 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 47 in this game.

Denzel Aberdeen ended up being a major contributor for the Wildcats in this game. He totaled 16 points in his 22 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 assists in the game. He converted 6 of 10 for the contest for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Kentucky has a record of 5-2 so far this year. As an offense, the Wildcats are connecting on 50.5% from the field, which ranks 37th in college. Kentucky has accounted for 629 points this season (89.9 per game) and they pull in 46.3 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 20.6 times per contest (6th in the country) and they turn it over 10.6 times per contest. The Wildcats commit 14.6 fouls every game and they connect on 74.2% from the free throw line.

The Kentucky defense surrenders 27.6% on shots from distance (55 of 199) and their opponents are converting on 65.2% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 13.1 dimes and 31.9 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 183rd and 81st in college. The Wildcats are ranked 26th in college hoops in points given up per game with 63.1. They are forcing 11.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 35.8% from the field (7th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take North Carolina

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.