The best rivalry in college hoops writes the third chapter this season as Duke and North Carolina square off once more with a trip to the ACC tournament finals on the line. Both squads won on their home court this season with Duke going over UNC 86-78 in Durham and UNC victorious 90-83 at Chapel Hill. Recent history does slightly favor the Blue Devils, who have taken five of the past seven meetings with the Tar Heels.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of the past 7 games between Duke and UNC.
- Duke is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games after an ATS win.
- UNC is 6-1 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games against teams with winning records.
The Blue Devils are out to accomplish history this week, as they would need to win four games in four days to win their 25th conference title. No team in ACC history has ever won four games in four days to claim the conference crown. Jayson Tatum has asserted himself so far in the ACC tourney with the freshman averaging 22.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent in the past two contests.
After a tough first half, UNC blew the doors off the hinges in the second stanza to top Miami 78-53 in the quarterfinals. Isaiah Hicks has dominated in the past two games, including the regular-season finale against Duke, with the senior averaging 20 points while shooting 75 percent from the field and 16 of 17 from the free-throw line. A streaking Hicks could be hard for the Blue Devils to stop with their relative lack of quality depth in the frontcourt.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The North Carolina Tar Heels betting line opened as -2.5-point favorites in this college basketball tilt over at Sportsbook but the number may be on the move. Watch for the Sportsbook over/under total as well at Sportsbook.
Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The North Carolina Tar Heels sport a record of 27-6 and 18-14-1 ATS heading into this betting matchup, while the Duke Blue Devils have 25-8 and 13-18-1 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 13-20 for the North Carolina Tar Heels and 16-16 for the Duke Blue Devils.
This game puts the North Carolina Tar Heels, most recently No. 16 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Duke Blue Devils, who rate No. 48 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and North Carolina has the nation's No. 10-rated offensive output, at 84.97 PPG. The visiting Duke Blue Devils defense ranks No. 84 allowing on average 69.45 PPG. The Tar Heels FG% has averaged 47.34% so far, more than the North Carolina Blue Devils marksmen have achieved on the year, 47.28% per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Duke got 24 points and 24 rebounds from Luke Kennard en route to a 81-77 victory over Louisville on Thursday at Barclays Center.
The battle between the Tar Heels and Hurricanes didnt turn out to be much of a battle at all as Miami was handed a 78-53 defeat on Thursday at Barclays Center.
- Duke is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
- Duke is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Duke's last 7 games
- Duke is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing North Carolina
- North Carolina is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games
- North Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Carolina's last 6 games
- North Carolina is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Duke
