Ohio State Buckeyes vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 12/20/25

The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Ohio State Buckeyes will meet in Atlanta for a non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon. The game will be played inside State Farm Arena for the CBS Sports Classic that is held every year with these two programs. St. John’s has replaced UCLA in the event and will play Kentucky beforehand. The spread is in favor in North Carolina here and I believe that they will cover that spread.

The spread is currently North Carolina -3.5 and that is my best bet of the game. The Tar Heels are 10-1 on the season and have beaten top tier talent like Kansas and Kentucky. Senior guard Seth Trimble is expected to be back for the game on Saturday and could be a difference maker for North Carolina. North Carolina’s defense and size could cause Ohio State issues in this one. According to KenPom, North Carolina’s defense is ranked #5 nationally in two-point percentage, #5 in effective field goal percentage and #22 adjusted defensive efficiency. Ohio State lost to Pittsburgh, who is a below average ACC team, back in November and beat West Virginia by just one in double overtime in their last game. They have not shown that they are a good team yet, so North Carolina should be able to cover the spread here. Take North Carolina.

*North Carolina -3.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at -4*