Wednesday’s Tip Sheet

The ongoing ACC/Big Ten Challenge starts to really heat up on Wednesday night highlighted by a pair of head-to-head matchups between nationally ranked teams. Right out of the gate, No. 4 Virginia renews an old ACC rivalry against Maryland.

Later that night, No. 23 Purdue will be on the road against No. 14 Florida State just ahead of a tip between No. 7 North Carolina and No. 18 Michigan in Ann Arbor.

No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers at No. 24 Maryland Terrapins (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Virginia -3 ½, Total 130

Betting Matchup

The Cavaliers got a jump on things against the Big Ten last Friday with a 53-46 victory against Wisconsin as four-point favorites in the title game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. This bumped their straight-up record to 6-0 with a 4-2 mark against the spread. The total stayed UNDER 119 points in the win against the Badgers. Virginia’s trademark shutdown defense has allowed an average of 49.3 points per game.

Maryland has won its first six games SU, but it has been a tough bet at 2-4 ATS. The Terrapins have eased they way into the new season as double-digit favorites for all six games and five of those contests were played at home. Junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. has been an early driving force with a team-high 16.8 points and 4.7 assists. He is also pulling down five rebounds a game. Maryland is averaging 84.8 points a game.

Betting Trends

-- The Cavaliers have covered ATS in nine of their last 11 road games and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six games against the Big Ten.

-- The Terrapins are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games at home and the total has stayed UNDER in nine of their last 12 home games.

-- Head-to-head, the road team has covered in four of the last five meetings and the total has gone OVER in the last eight meetings in Maryland.

No. 19 Purdue Boilermakers at No. 15 Florida State Seminoles (ESPN 2, 9:15 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Florida State -4 ½, Total 149 ½

Betting Matchup

Purdue’s lone SU loss of the season against five wins was to the ACC’s Virginia Tech Hokies on Nov. 18 in a 89-83 setback as a one-point favorite. The Boilermakers bounced back by crushing Robert Morris 84-46 last Friday to cover a hefty 25.5-point spread on their home court. They are now 4-2 ATS. Junior guard Carsen Edwards was the leading scorer in Friday’s win with 19 points followed closely by fellow guard Ryan Cline with 17 points.

The Seminoles suffered their first SU defeat in their first six games with Sunday’s 66-60 loss to Villanova as 2 ½-point favorites in the championship game of the AdvoCare Invitational. They also failed to cover as 3 ½-point favorites in last Friday’s tight 79-76 win against LSU. Florida State is averaging 79.0 points and 36.5 rebounds per game with four players averaging at least nine points.

Betting Trends

-- The Boilermakers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against the ACC and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in eight of their last nine games following a SU win.

-- The Seminoles have gone 14-4-2 ATS in their last 20 nonconference games and the total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five games against the Big Ten.

-- These two last met in 2005 with Florida State winning 97-57 as a nine-point home favorite.

No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels at No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Michigan -3, Total 146 ½

Betting Matchup

The Tar Heels suffered their first loss of the season last Thursday against Texas 92-89 as nine-point favorites. They quickly returned to form the next night with a 94-78 victory against UCLA as 10-point favorites in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational. North Carolina is 6-1 SU with a 4-2-1 record ATS. The total has gone OVER in their last six contests behind a scoring average of 96.6 PPG.

Michigan’s biggest victory of the year came against Villanova on Nov. 14 as a 6 ½-point underdog in a 73-46 romp. More recently, the Wolverines crushed Chattanooga by 28 points as a 32-point favorites. They are a perfect 6-0 SU with an even 3-3 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the six games behind the top defense in the nation in points allowed (48.3)

Betting Trends

-- The Tar Heels have covered in five of their last six road games and the total has gone OVER in seven of their last 10 Wednesday games.

-- The Wolverines are 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games against the ACC and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in 11 of their last 15 home games.

-- These two met last season in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with North Carolina winning 86-71 as a nine-point home favorite. The total went OVER the 145 ½-point line.