The ACC championship is on the line Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium as the Duke Blue Devils look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.
Duke, ranked No. 4, is a rare home underdog against the No. 6 ranked Tar Heels. UNC looks for revenge from an earlier game this season where they blew a big lead at home, capped by Ausin Rivers's 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Six of the past 7 meetings have gone UNDER the total while Duke is 5-2 ATS in the past 7 meetings. Duke has won 5 of 6 meetings overall SU and the best Duke line was +2, 1-05 at Sportsbook earlier today while the best UNC line of -105 was at Sportsbook.
The Tar Heels will look to vanquish their hosts on Saturday, as they are 16-13 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Blue Devils are 13-17 ATS. North Carolina is 14-14-1 against the total, while Duke is 19-10-1 versus the number.
View North Carolina vs Duke Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Blue Devils, most recently No. 23 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Tar Heels, who rate No. 4 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 90-84 victory for the Tar Heels.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Duke's No. 11-ranked offense, averaging 79 PPG, against a Tar Heels defense that ranks No. 147 at 66.1 PPG. The Blue Devils field goal percentage has averaged 46.5% so far, more than the Tar Heels marksmen have achieved on the year, 45.9% per game.
Defensively, North Carolina features the nation's No. 114-rated defense on the road, allowing 67.7 points per game. Duke, meanwhile, comes in at No. 22 nationally in scoring at home.
North Carolina was an 88-64 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Maryland. They covered the 18.5-point spread as favorites. The Tar Heels blew out Maryland on Wednesday, running up a 20+ point victory in an 88-64 win at Dean Smith Center.
In their last action, Duke was a 79-71 Sportsbook on the road against Wake Forest. They failed to cover the 12-point spread as favorites. Ryan Kelly scored 23 points leading the Blue Devils to a 79-71 victory over Wake Forest at Joel Coliseum on Tuesday.
North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
After playing Maryland are 7-3
After a win are 9-1
Duke Blue Devils Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
After playing Wake Forest are 7-3
After a win are 8-2
A few Tar Heels at Blue Devils trends to consider:
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
North Carolina is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Duke
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of North Carolina's last 9 games when playing on the road against Duke
North Carolina is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Duke
Duke is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Duke is 18-2 SU in its last 20 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Duke's last 7 games when playing North Carolina
Duke is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing North Carolina
