The North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils meet Saturday in college basketball action at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here’s a Duke vs. North Carolina prediction. This article will include a Duke vs. North Carolina pick.
North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview
The North Carolina Tar Heels beat Virginia Tech and Clemson. North Carolina has won 4 straight games.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are averaging 80.4 points on 47.3 percent shooting and allowing 70.9 points on 41.6 percent shooting. Caleb Wilson is averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds, while Henri Veesaar is averaging 16.5 points and 8.4 rebounds. Seth Trimble is the third double-digit scorer, and Luka Bogavac is grabbing 2.6 rebounds. The North Carolina Tar Heels are shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 68.5 percent from the free-throw line. The North Carolina Tar Heels are allowing 34.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.9 rebounds per game.
Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview
The Duke Blue Devils beat Virginia and NC State. Duke has won 7 straight games.
The Duke Blue Devils are averaging 83.2 points on 50 percent shooting and allowing 62.5 points on 38.7 percent shooting. Cameron Boozer is averaging 22.6 points and 10 rebounds, while Isaiah Evans is averaging 14.6 points and 2.9 rebounds. Patrick Ngongba II is the third double-digit scorer and Caleb Foster is grabbing 3.7 rebounds. The Duke Blue Devils are shooting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. The Duke Blue Devils are allowing 29.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 37.2 rebounds per game.
Why the Duke Blue Devils will win
- Duke has won each of its last 31 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
- North Carolina has lost seven of its last eight games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Duke has won the first half in each of its last 19 night games as a top-5 AP-ranked team.
Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win
- North Carolina has won nine of its last 10 games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- Duke has lost three of its last four games as a top-3 AP-ranked team against an AP-ranked team at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
- North Carolina has won the first half in four of its last five games as an AP-ranked team at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Total Points Facts
- Nine of North Carolina’s last 10 games against AP-ranked opponents at Cameron Indoor Stadium have produced a total of 148+ points.
- Each of Duke’s last five games against AP-ranked opponents has produced a total of 139 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Duke ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for point differential per game this season (+20.6).
- Duke ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for defensive rating this season (93.4).
- North Carolina ranks 5th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throws made per game this season (10.4).
- North Carolina ranks 7th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw attempts per game this season (14.8).
Duke vs North Carolina Prediction
North Carolina is undermanned and this is a revenge spot for Duke. However, this line is nuts. Since the injury to Wilson, oddsmakers have been low on North Carolina, making it an underdog against Syracuse and Louisville. North Carolina won those games. There’s still talent on this North Carolina roster, and the underdog has covered 6 of the last 10 games between these rivals. Heck, the underdog has won all six of those meetings. Duke is good or whatever, but throwing out this massive number is crazy. Give me UNC and the points.