College Basketball Betting Preview & Prediction: Duke vs. North Carolina

College Basketball Preview & Prediction: Duke vs North Carolina

Written by on March 1, 2018

The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will look to extract some revenge against the ninth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels when the two longtime rivals square off in their ACC regular-season finale on Saturday. Both College Basketball Betting favorites to win the national championship will be looking to bounce back from losses in their last contests when they hook up in this contest. If you want to know which team is offering the best value at the NCAAB Odds for this contest, check out our expert preview right away!

Blue Devils vs. Tar Heels College Basketball Betting Preview & Prediction

  • When: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 8:15 PM ET
  • Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
  • TV: ESPN
  • Radio: 104.3 FM (Duke) / 95.9 FM (North Carolina)
  • Live Stream: Watch ESPN
  • College Basketball Betting Odds: TBA

Team Records

  • All: North Carolina Tar Heels 22-8 / Duke Blue Devils 24-6
  • Home: North Carolina Tar Heels 12-4 / Duke Blue Devils 16-1
  • Away: North Carolina Tar Heels 9-4 / Duke Blue Devils 8-5
  • ATS: North Carolina Tar Heels 11-13 / Duke Blue Devils 18-10
  • Over/Under: North Carolina Tar Heels 13-11 / Duke Blue Devils 16-12

2018 MENS NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS TO WIN

Why Consider Betting on North Carolina?

Why should you consider betting on North Carolina? Because they’ve already beaten the Blue Devils once this season. North Carolina had its six-game winning streak snapped in their 91-88 home loss to Miami on Tuesday night to ruin its Senior Night plans. Ja’Quan Newton hit a running 30-footer at the horn to help the Hurricanes pull off the upset and improve to a surprising 6-2 in their last eight meetings against the Tar Heels. Joel Berry II drained a huge three-pointer of his own with just 4.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 88 and complete a big second-half comeback, but Newton launched his game-winner over Berry off his left foot to stun Carolina’s blue-clad fans. Berry matched his career high with 31 points for the Tar Heels (22-8, 11-6), who lost their final home game to snap a six-game winning streak. “I really thought we were going to win the game,” said Roy Williams, his voice cracking with emotion due to it being the final home game for seniors Berry and Theo Pinson “He made a big-time shot. The clock ran out on us.”

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 83.45
  • Field Goal Percentage: 46.69
  • Three-Point Percentage: 37.21
  • Free Throw Percentage: 73.90
  • Total Rebounds: 43.10
Defense
  • Total Score: 73.45
  • Field Goal Percentage: 42.33
  • Three-Point Percentage: 38.34
  • Free Throw Percentage: 66.89
  • Total Rebounds: 31.66

Why Consider Betting on Duke?

Why should you consider betting on Duke in this contest? Because the Blue Devils have more talent on their roster than North Carolina. Fifth-ranked Duke lost to Virginia Tech 64-63 on Monday night when Chris Clarke tipped in a missed shot with four seconds remaining to lift the Hokies to victory and almost assuredly punch their ticket to March Madness. Duke got a team-high 22 points from Grayson Allen but committed 18 turnovers and the Hokies turned them into 24 points. Duke should be your College Basketball Betting Pick against North Carolina. “I thought we played really tired tonight,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said while pointing out the fact that his team was in its fourth game in eight days. “Part of it for us was to make them a half-court team, and we did unless we turned it over.”

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 86.24
  • Field Goal Percentage: 49.75
  • Three-Point Percentage: 38.45
  • Free Throw Percentage: 71.23
  • Total Rebounds: 42.03
Defense
  • Total Score: 69.83
  • Field Goal Percentage: 39.99
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.14
  • Free Throw Percentage: 74.34
  • Total Rebounds: 32.66

Latest College Basketball Betting Trends

  • North Carolina is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
  • North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of North Carolina’s last 8 games
  • Duke is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Duke is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Duke’s last 6 games

Expert Final Analysis & Score Prediction

Duke will look to get some revenge for their 82-78 road loss to North Carolina back on Feb. 8 and I believe they’re going to do just that in this regular season finale. The Blue Devils will be playing at home in this contest and they’ll have the best three players on the floor in freshman stars Marvin Bagley III, Trevon Duval, and Wendell Carter. Carolina is just 6-4 on the road this season while Duke has gone 14-1 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It’s going to be a close affair, but I like Duke to get the super narrow win at home. Score: North Carolina Tar Heels 79 – Duke Blue Devils 83