Bet on the North Carolina vs Duke Rivalry Game

After alternating SU NCAAB lines wins and losses over their last four games, the 17th-ranked Duke Blue Devils will look to both, find some consistency before the start of the ACC Tournament while avoiding a home loss against their longtime rivals, the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels.

How to Bet the No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 17 Duke NCAAB Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday March 5, 6:30 PM ET Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina TV: ESPN2, ESPN3 NCAAB Odds: TBA

Why Bet the North Carolina Tar Heels

The Tar Heels (24-6 SU, 11-17-2 ATS) are a great wager in this contest because they often look like the best team in America. North Carolina has won three of its last four games including its 75-70 home win over Syracuse on Tuesday, though they failed to cover the spread as a 13-point home favorite. Forward Brice Johnson scored a team-high 14 points to help North Carolina get the win while giving his team a shot at clinching at least a share of the ACC regular-season title by beating Duke on Saturday night. “I don’t know if I ever felt as much stress about a regular-season game as I did tonight,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “I wanted for those (seniors) to win their last home game. It was about winning. I didn’t care how.” The Tar Heels average 83.1 points per game and allow 70.6 per contest defensively.

Why Bet the Duke Blue Devils

Duke (22-8 SU, 14-14-1 ATS) has alternated SU wins and losses over their last four games but picked up a solid 79-71 win over Wake Forest on Tuesday although the Heels failed to cover the spread as a 16-point favorite. Enigmatic shooting guard Grayson Allen scored a team-high 30 points to lead Duke to victory after losing to Pittsburgh in their previous contest. “It was great to come back out after that performance,” center Marshall Plumlee said. “This was the next step. We had to show maturity.” Forward Brandon Ingram added 15 points, guard Matt Jones chipped in 14 points and Plumlee added 13 points in the win. The Blue Devils average 81.5 points per game and allow 71.0 per contest defensively.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

I know the Duke Blue Devils are playing at home in this contest, but I’m going to urge you to back the North Carolina Tar Heels in this contest mostly because I believe they have more experience and overall talent on their roster. The Heels have the better offense and defense statistically speaking and will have the best player on the floor in the athletic Brice Johnson. Duke is 5-1 SU in its last six home games against the Heels, but the Devils are also just 2-3-1 ATS in its last six games. Carolina will also have the revenge factor working in their favor after losing a heartbreaker at home to Duke 74-73 on February 17 while failing to cover the spread as an 8.5-point home fave. This time around, North Carolina gets the narrow win and ATS cover. My final score prediction: North Carolina 77 Duke 72