NCAAB preview: Gonzaga a big favorite against reeling UNC

North Carolina will take the court in Spokane, Washington on Wednesday, and what awaits the Tar Heels on the end of the cross-country trip likely won’t be another feather in Roy Williams’ cap. North Carolina is on a losing streak, has dropped out of the Top 25 and will be without star Cole Anthony. Gonzaga sits at No. 2 in the nation and looks poised to secure a statement win in front of a sellout home crowd and a national-television audience.

North Carolina at #2 Gonzaga, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

The Tar Heels are reeling

There’s no way to sugar coat the state of affairs in Chapel Hill. North Carolina, one of the blue bloods in college basketball, has hit some stumbling blocks and still has the meat of a brutal ACC schedule ahead. A loss to Gonzaga would give the Tar Heels four straight losses, which would be the first losing streak of that length for them since the 2009-2010 season. They dropped out of the AP Top 25 this week, for the first time since Week 16 of the 2013-14 season.

Anthony will miss four to six weeks to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery, and while he will likely return for the heart of North Carolina’s ACC schedule, he can't stop the bleeding now. Anthony also missed UNC’s 68-64 loss to Wofford last weekend in Chapel Hill. Starting wing Leaky Black is also questionable for UNC with a sprained foot.

This will be the Tar Heels’ first trip to state of Washington during the regular season. They’ve visited four times during the NCAA Tournament, with a 1-3 record in those games.

Gonzaga's offense is remarkably balanced

Gonzaga enters off an 84-80 win over No. 16 Arizona on Saturday, a game that saw junior forward Corey Kispert lead all scorers with 18 points, to go along with eight rebounds. The Bulldogs are the only team in the country with six players averaging double digits in scoring through 12 games.

The Bulldogs are commanding favorites

I like Mark Few’s team to make a statement on national television. As for Tar Heel nation, even an NCAA Tournament berth is in question at this point. Missing key players in a hostile environment is a tall task.

NCAAB free pick: Gonzaga moneyline 

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