Virginia Tech Hokies vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Tech Hokies vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC

TV: ESPN+

Dean E. Smith Center is where the North Carolina Tar Heels (22-6) will play the Virginia Tech Hokies (18-10) on Saturday.

The Virginia Tech Hokies took the court against Wake Forest and earned the victory with a final of 82-63 in their last contest. Virginia Tech wrapped up the contest having earned a 50.8% field goal percentage (31 out of 61) and converted 11 out of their 28 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Hokies made 9 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 56.3%. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they earned 32 with 12 of them being offensive. They also doled out 19 assists in the game while forcing 6 turnovers and getting 3 steals. Pertaining to defense, Virginia Tech allowed the other team to go 37.7% from the floor on 23 out of 61 shooting. Wake Forest doled out 10 assists and had 2 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Wake Forest snagged 29 rebounds (13 offensive, 16 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Wake Forest walked away from this one shooting 68.8% when shooting free throws by converting 11 of their 16 shots. They made 6 of their 30 attempts from long range. In reference to fouls, the Hokies ended up with 19 while Wake Forest accumulated 19 fouls.

Neoklis Avdalas is a guy who had an impact for this game. He totaled 17 points on 6 out of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes and also totaled 3 boards. He finished 42.9% from the floor and earned 7 assists.

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Virginia Tech comes into this game with a record of 18-10 this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.4 times per game and as a team they commit 16.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Virginia Tech is snagging 35.0 boards per contest and has earned 405 assists for the year, which ranks 172nd in college in terms of passing. The Hokies are shooting 35.6% on shots from beyond the arc (238 of 668) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 78.8 points per contest (115th in D-1) while going 45.3% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Hokies are forcing 12.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.4 personal fouls. They are surrendering 30.2% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 191st in college in opponents PPG (74.0). The Hokies are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 44.3% (760 of 1,714) and they concede 35.3 rebounds per contest as a team. They rank 89th in college in giving up assists with 351 relinquished on the year.

The last time they took the court, the North Carolina Tar Heels went home victorious with a score of 77-74 against Louisville. The Tar Heels collected 19 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 25 in the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. Louisville committed 20 personal fouls for this game which took the Tar Heels to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They were able to bury 9 of the free throw tries for a clip of 47.4%. With respect to shots from 3-point land, North Carolina made 8 out of 22 attempts (36.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Tar Heels walked away from this one shooting 30 for 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 53.6%. The Tar Heels permitted Louisville to convert 26 out of 67 tries from the floor which had them shooting 38.8% for this contest. They finished 35.9% from beyond the perimeter by going 14 of 39 and walked away from this one shooting 8 of 11 at the free throw line (72.7%). In regard to how they rebounded, North Carolina permitted Louisville to get 37 in all (13 offensive).

Seth Trimble was important for the Tar Heels for this game. He buried 11 out of 16 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 68.8%, and had 4 rebounds. He totaled 30 points in his 37 minutes on the hardwood and added 4 assists in this game.

North Carolina has a win-loss mark of 22-6 on the season. The Tar Heels have committed 14.5 personal fouls every game and they go 68.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 16.2 times per game (57th in college) and they are turning it over 9.4 times per game. North Carolina has accounted for 2,257 pts for the campaign (80.6 per game) and they grab 38.5 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Tar Heels are shooting 47.4% from the floor, which ranks 57th in the country.

The Tar Heels are ranked 92nd in D-1 in points allowed per game with 70.8. They are able to force 9.5 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.2% from the field (43rd in D-1). The North Carolina defense allows 34.0% on 3-pointers (222 of 652) and their opponents are converting on 69.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 12.6 dimes and 34.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 120th and 198th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Virginia Tech

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