North Carolina vs Duke Betting Odds and Pick - February 17, 2016

One of the greatest rivalries in sports takes center stage tonight when North Carolina and Duke square off at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels opened as 6.5-point favorites, but it’s the visitor that’s had the edge in this matchup, as the travelling team is 7-2 ATS in the last nine games between the two squads.

Shark Bites

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Carolina's last 7 games with two days off between games.
Duke is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games after an ATS loss.
North Carolina is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games.

North Carolina is an absolute beast at home, with 17 straight wins on their home court this season, but are a below average bet in Chapel Hill, going just 7-8-2 ATS at home. They’re also on a bit of a slide at the betting window, posting a 2-6 ATS record over their last eight games.

Duke has gotten the better of their rival lately, winning five of the last six games over North Carolina, and covering the spread in four of their last five trips to UNC. This will be just the third time this season that Duke enters a game as an underdog — a situation they haven’t responded well to on the season with an 0-2 SU and ATS record.

The total for this one opened at 162.5 and both teams are trending UNDER. The Tar Heels have gone UNDER in seven of their last eight, and Duke has gone UNDER in four of their last five games. However, the teams have gone OVER in three straight matchups against each other.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

On the Sportsbook NCAA basketball betting line for this matchup, North Carolina sat as -5.5-point favorites over at Sportsbook. Also, check out the current over/under betting total for points scored, which often goes up first at online sportsbook Sportsbook

Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

The North Carolina Tar Heels sport a record of 21-4 and 9-14-2 ATS heading into this betting matchup, while the Duke Blue Devils have 19-6 and 12-12 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 14-11 for the North Carolina Tar Heels and 12-12 for the Duke Blue Devils.

This game puts the North Carolina Tar Heels, most recently No. 41 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Duke Blue Devils, who rate No. 60 in the latest survey.

Statistical Matchup

Scoring and defensive stats point to some betting edges in this matchup. The game features North Carolina's No. 7-ranked scoring average of 83.84 PPG, against a Duke Blue Devils defense rated No. 129 and allowing 70.92 PPG. The North Carolina Tar Heels FG% has averaged 48.35% to date this season, more than the Duke Blue Devils shooters have managed so far (47.6% per game).