Bodog Beat

It's the final of the 2K Sports Classic on ESPN2 Friday night when the Orange and Tar Heels meet at Madison Square Garden in New York – defending national champion UNC has opened as a solid favorite on Bodog's college basketball odds.

Syracuse (3-0, 3-0 ATS) looked very impressive in beating Pac-10 favorite and No. 12 California, 95-73, on Thursday. The Orange led by double digits at intermission and put the game away with a 15-4 run to start the second half. Sophomore Scoop Jardine, one of the guys trying to replace departed star Jonny Flynn at point guard, scored a career-high 22 points and had six assists, while Wes Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds. With its trademark 2-3 zone, Syracuse held the Bears, the nation's top 3-point shooting team last year, to 6-of-20 from long range — this season opponents have hit just 17 of 71 3-point attempts (24 percent) against Syracuse.

Orange senior Andy Rautins, the team's best 3-point shooter, re-injured a sprained ankle in the game but hopes to play tonight – his loss would be huge, so check on that injury before placing those college basketball bets at Bodog. I would also caution about reading too much into SU's win as one of Cal's best players, Theo Robertson, surprisingly didn’t play.

North Carolina (4-0, 2-2 ATS) looked impressive for a while in its 77-73 win over No. 15 Ohio State, leading by as many as 19 points in the second half. However, OSU staged a furious rally to get within two with under 10 seconds left before two Heels free throws sealed it. However, North Carolina had just four fast-break points and turned the ball over 19 times. UNC has won 44 straight regular season games vs. non-conference opponents.

It's the first meeting between the Orange and Heels since 1987.

Get all of your college basketball betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.