The No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels will try to earn another win over No. 4 Duke this Saturday night, with the sportsbooks giving them the slight edge for the matchup.
The No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels are 6-0 straight up and 4-2 against the spread over their last six games. The Tar Heels can wrap up the regular season on a seven-game winning streak with a victory on Saturday over the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.
North Carolina is a 3-point home favorite on the college basketball odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The team’s current winning streak includes it’s 88-72 road win over Duke as 10-point underdogs.
Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels
When: Saturday, March 9, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Betting Line / Total: North Carolina -3 / 166.5 Points
North Carolina Tar Heels Notes
The Tar Heels have looked the part of a legitimate championship contender over the last two months with a 13-1 SU and 8-5 ATS run over their last 14 games. While the injury to Zion Williamson certainly changed the complexion of the last game against Duke, it would be unfair to totally discount North Carolina’s impressive 16-point road blowout because of it.
The Tar Heels offense has been playing at an elite level all season ranking third in the nation averaging 86.8 points per game led by Cameron Johnson (16.9 points per game) and Coby White (16.2).
On the season, North Carolina is 25-5 SU and 18-10-2 ATS per the OddsShark College Basketball Database.
Duke Blue Devils Notes
The four games Duke, the leader on the March Madness odds, has played since losing Zion Williamson have been a mixed bag. The Blue Devils looked sharp in a 75-65 road win over Syracuse and an 87-57 blowout win at home against Miami, but alternatively looked vulnerable in a 77-72 road loss at Virginia Tech and a too-close-for-comfort 71-70 win at home over Wake Forest as 24.5-point favorites.
Reports indicate that Williamson will be back in action for the ACC Tournament, but the big man is expected to miss this Saturday’s matchup.
Duke at North Carolina Betting Total
Saturday night’s total is set at 166.5 points. The UNDER is 21-7-1 in Duke’s last 29 games.
While it is a shame that Williamson will miss out on this rivalry matchup again, Duke should still be fired up to get some revenge after its poor showing in the last game against the Tar Heels. Perhaps the star freshman will get a shot at the Tar Heels if these two teams clash again in the ACC or NCAA Tournament, which isn’t much of a longshot given how strong both have looked this year.
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