The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels meet for the 259th time in one of college basketball's most storied rivalries in ACC action on Saturday night. The Tar Heels (15-7, 7-4 ACC), who have won two in a row and four of the last five against Duke in the Tobacco Road Rivalry, have been red hot, winning four of their last five overall, and six of eight. The Blue Devils (16-6, 7-4), who have won two in a row and all 11 home games this season, are 46-39 against UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels are just 2-4 on the road this year.
The game from Durham, N.C., will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET. UNC is averaging 78.6 points per game, while Duke averages 72.9. The Blue Devils are 3-point favorites in the latest North Carolina vs. Duke odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 145. Before locking in any Duke vs. North Carolina picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 13 of the season 50-29 on all-top rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Duke vs. UNC and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for UNC vs. Duke:
- North Carolina vs. Duke spread: Duke -3
- North Carolina vs. Duke over/under: 145 points
- North Carolina vs. Duke money line: North Carolina +135, Duke -160
- UNC: The Tar Heels are 19-7 against the spread in their last 26 Saturday game
- DUKE: The Over is 5-0 in the Blue Devils' last five games against a team with a winning straight-up record
- North Carolina vs. Duke picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Duke can cover
Freshman forward Mark Mitchell, who has started all 22 games for the Blue Devils, averages 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. In the last outing against Wake Forest, Mitchell scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds, made two steals and had one assist in 33 minutes of action. He is known more for his defense, where he is locking down opponents, allowing foes he guards to shoot just 34% from the field, including 29.8% from 3-point range. In the Jan. 7 win at Boston College, he made a game-saving chase-down block in the closing seconds to preserve a 65-64 win.
Freshman guard Tyrese Proctor is also making a solid impression in his first season at the collegiate level. He is averaging 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. In Tuesday's game against Wake Forest, he tied his career high with 17 points, grabbed five rebounds, had two assists and made one steal in 31 minutes. In his last six games, he is averaging 12.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and has a turnover-to-assist ratio of 2.8.
Why North Carolina can cover
Tar Heels senior forward/center Armando Bacot has been dominant this season. He is averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He is connecting on 56.6% of his field goals. Bacot is North Carolina's all-time leader in rebounds (1,240) and double-doubles (62). He set both records on Jan. 21 against North Carolina State, breaking Tyler Hansbrough's rebounding record and Billy Cunningham's mark for double-doubles. He also holds the school record for games with 10 or more rebounds with 69.
Junior guard Caleb Love is coming off a 22-point and six-rebound performance in the loss to Pittsburgh. He has scored 1,288 points, made 171 threes and has 309 assists in 90 games for the Tar Heels. He is averaging 14.3 points, 1.9 threes and 3.4 assists, and is 50th in career scoring at UNC, having passed Vince Carter, Garrison Brooks and York Larese in the Pittsburgh game. Love has made at least one three-pointer in 76 of 90 games, including a UNC-record 45 consecutive games, a streak that began last season and ended on Jan. 14.
How to make UNC vs. Duke picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 144 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Duke vs. UNC? And which side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
