North Carolina at Duke Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

No matter where you live or went to college, it’s hard to argue against the best rivalry in college basketball being North Carolina and Duke, a public and private school separated by just eight miles and with two of the richest traditions in the sport. The No. 8 Tar Heels visit the No. 18 Blue Devils on Thursday night with Duke likely a small home NCAAB lines favorite.

North Carolina at Duke Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

Four Corners: Duke Week https://t.co/WfRYBn6wcC #UNCBBall pic.twitter.com/gQBfI2cIoN

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 7, 2017

When: Thursday, Feb. 9, 8 PM ET Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham TV: ESPN Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA

Why Bet On North Carolina?

Duke and Carolina have combined to win or share 49 ACC regular season titles (77.7% of the total) and 37 tournament titles (58.7% of the total), including 14 of 15 from 1996–2011. The final game of the regular season for both schools alternates between Chapel Hill and Durham and has been played in Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1940 and the Dean E. Smith Center since 1986. UNC (21-4) leads the ACC by a game. It comes off an 83-76 win over Notre Dame on Sunday in Greensboro, a game moved because of a water issue in Chapel Hill. The postponement from Saturday came Friday after the water system supplying the UNC campus and surrounding area instructed its 20,000 customers not to drink or use the water due to critically low supplies, brought on by a water-main break and the shutdown of a treatment plant. Carolina outrebounded the Irish, 44-25, including a 17-7 edge in offensive rebounds. Carolina is 21-1 this year when it out-rebounds the opponents Carolina had 17 offensive rebounds, one less than Notre Dame had defensive. UNC scored 19 second-chance points and outscored the Irish, 40-18, in the paint. It was the ninth time in 11 ACC games this year the Tar Heels scored 80 or more points. Justin Jackson (16) led six Tar Heels in double figures, the first time since Oklahoma State on 11/22/16. It was the fifth straight game and the ninth time in the last dozen games Jackson has topped UNC in scoring. Tony Bradley matched his season high with three blocks and scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. It was Bradley’s second game in double figures in ACC play (11 vs. NC State) and his 11th double-figure game of the year. Theo Pinson missed his third game in a row. He rolled his right ankle on 1/26 against Virginia Tech. Pinson is averaging 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds and has 20 assists and only two turnovers in the six games he has played in this year. UNC is plus-114 in scoring and plus-53 in assist-turnovers in his six games this season. Pinson was going to practice on Wednesday and perhaps play here. Carolina is tied for third nationally with 12 wins (12-4) over teams in the NCAA’s top 100. Butler has 14, Villanova has 13 and UNC, Baylor, FSU and Kansas have 12.

Why Bet On Duke?

Duke (18-5) beat Pittsburgh 72-64 on Saturday in Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s return from back surgery. He underwent surgery Jan. 6 to have a fragment of a herniated disk removed from his lower back. The Blue Devils went 4-3 with associate head coach Jeff Capel running things in the interim. Duke scored 70+ points against Pittsburgh for the 10th meeting between the two teams. Duke last scored at least 70 points against Pittsburgh at home on Jan. 19, 2015, netting 79 in a 79-65 victory over the Panthers. Grayson Allen scored a team-high 21 points, bringing his career total to 1,264. Allen’s 1,264 points rank 44th on Duke’s all-time scorers list. Allen also dished six assists, the sixth game this season he has registered at least five assists. Sophomore Luke Kennard connected on 4-of- 12 (.333) attempts from the floor, including 2-of- 7 (.286) from beyond the arc, his 26th consecutive game with at least one three-pointer (dating back to last season). Kennard’s active streak of 26 games leads the ACC. Duke moved to 10-1 this season and 35-3 all-time when Amile Jefferson leads the Blue Devils in rebounds. North Carolina leads the all-time series 134–108. Krzyzewski is 43-39 vs. Carolina. For the last 142 meetings at least one school has been ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25. The last time when neither was ranked by the AP was on February 27, 1960, but Carolina was #12 in the coaches’ poll. The last time when neither was ranked in either polls was February 25, 1955 when Duke beat UNC.

North Carolina at Duke Expert Pick: Duke Blue Devils

Go Duke at home even though the teams split last year and both won on the road.