North Carolina Travels to Face Duke in Unranked Rivalry

1960 was the last time Duke vs. UNC was an unranked matchup. Saturday night, the Tar Heels (11-6 SU, 6-10-1 ATS) travel as a slight underdog to face the Blue Devils (7-6 SU, 3-10 ATS) Duke looks to rebound after collapsing against Miami as a double digit favorite.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Combined these two teams have just covered seven out of the last 20 games. In the last 10 matchups both teams have won five a piece. Duke covering just one of its last six against UNC opens this contest as a slight favorite at just 1.5 points. The total for this contest is set at 145 points.

UNC News & Notes

Roy Williams and his Tar Heels seem to be getting on track despite a rough start. In 2021 thus far the team has won six out of eight games and has averaged 75 points or more in five out of the last six games. Unfortunately, the team had a major hiccup on the road against Clemson earlier this week losing by double digits as a small favorite. Just shooting 38.6 percent from the field and an even worse 26.3% from beyond the Arc, this team needs to do some soul searching quick.

This team is very balanced, but that has been problematic down the stretch in games this season. With no clear team MVP, Roy Williams sees his top five scorers average within four points of each other ranging from 11.9 to 8.6. Leading the way is sophomore forward Armando Bacot who does shoot a very impressive 65 percent from the field. If this team has any shot of going far this year, their only senior who plays, Garrison Brooks really needs to step it up. Brooks is having a very underwhelming season after averaging 16.8 points per game last season.

Duke News & Notes

What a frustrating year for Duke fans. Coach K enters February with just a 54 percent winning percentage which is his lowest since 2006. Despite the underwhelming start, Duke has been very dominant at home this season winning six out of eight games. That being said, the Blue Devils have just covered in three out of their past 13 games.  Most recently Duke lost to a mediocre Miami team as a double-digit favorite.

Leading the Dukies is sophomore Matthew Hurt who averages a rock solid 18.8 points per game. Hurt also stretches the floor for this team as a 6ft 9 forward that shoots a team high 42 percent from three. Backing up Hurt, Coach K leans on three freshman DJ Steward, Jalen Johnson, and Jeremy Roach who all play over 23 minutes per game.   

Betting Pick: Duke -1.5

Duke is essentially even money at home against a mediocre UNC team. Sign me up for another Duke home victory as they should improve to 7-2 at Cameron Indoor Stadium attempting to turn around a very disappointing season.