North Carolina vs Duke Prediction 2/7/26 College Basketball Picks Today

The Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels meet Saturday in college basketball action from Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Here’s a North Carolina vs Duke prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best North Carolina vs Duke pick.

Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview

Duke was able to kick off the season with a great stretch of games. The Blue Devils won each of their first 11 games this year before taking a loss to Texas Tech back on December 20 by a single point in a tough result. After that were wins over Georgia Tech, Florida State, Louisville, SMU, California, Stanford, Wake Forest, Louisville again, Virginia Tech and Boston College. That gives Duke a 21-1 run across their first 22 outings.

In their Tuesday game versus Boston College, the Blue Devils kicked off the game with an excellent 42-27 advantage during the first half. Duke managed a 25-22 run the rest of the way, finishing off a blowout victory at home in the end 67-49. Cameron Boozer doubled up in the win with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Isaiah Evans had 12 points with three assists and two rebounds in the winning effort.

North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview

Over on the North Carolina side, they managed to post victories in their first six straight games this year before a loss to Michigan State. After that came wins over Kentucky, Georgetown, USC Upstate, East Tennessee State, Ohio State, East Carolina and Florida State. UNC would hit the skids on a 1-3 stretch in the next four, but they’ve since won versus Notre Dame, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Syracuse. That gives the Tar Heels an 18-4 overall record in the books across their first 22 outings.

In the Syracuse matchup back on Monday, the Tar Heels were sitting in the locker room with a 46-32 advantage. North Carolina was outscored 45-41 the rest of the way but still managed to power out a 10-point victory 87-77 as the game came to an end. Topping the scorers was Caleb Wilson with 22 points and nine boards. Henri Veesaar managed to double up with 17 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the win.

Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win

• North Carolina has won each of its last 14 games as an AP-ranked team at Dean E. Smith Center.
• Duke has lost each of its last four games against AP-ranked opponents at Dean E. Smith Center.
• North Carolina has won the first half in each of its last 11 games at Dean E. Smith Center.

Why the Duke Blue Devils will win

• Duke has won each of its last 20 games against Conference opponents.
• North Carolina has lost each of its last seven games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
• Duke has won the first half in each of its last 16 February games as a top-10 AP-ranked team.

Total Points Facts

• Each of North Carolina’s last eight games have produced a total of 160+ points.
• Five of Duke’s last six games have produced a total of 135 or fewer points.

North Carolina vs Duke Prediction

I’m going to take a stab on North Carolina but you could certainly call this one either way. The Tar Heels didn’t have too many issues with a decent Syracuse team during a home win this week, hitting a nice 48.2 percent from the field with 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from outside and a 37-28 rebounding advantage. North Carolina has found their groove again lately, winning four straight games (two on the road). The Tar Heels have 85 or more points scored in each of those as well.

As for the Blue Devils, they got past Boston College in a home matchup during their last outing thanks to 48 percent shooting, a 38-18 advantage on points in the paint, 38.5 percent shooting allowed, and just nine turnovers. Duke has won 10 straight games themselves, with 71 or more points scored in nine of them (67 in the other). Many things could happen in this one, but I do like a high total in a competitive game.