2017 ACC Tournament Semifinal Round – Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Predictions, Picks and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview

Duke is still alive. The Blue Devils rode their three stars – Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, and Grayson Allen – to an 81-77 come-from-behind victory over Louisville to move on to the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. Tatum had a team-high 25 points and 6 boards, while Kennard had 24 and 10, his first double-double of the season. Allen added 18 big points off the bench.

Allen had not been at his best in recent games, in part due to an ankle injury which saw him miss their game in Miami a few weeks ago. He had 14 points in 23 minutes in Duke’s 90-83 loss to North Carolina in their season finale, a step down from the terrific 25-point, 7-3-pointer performance he produced in the Blue Devils’ 86-78 win in Durham earlier this season.

Duke desperately needs Allen to be at his best to get the better of UNC once again. But with a third game in three days, it remains to be seen how well his ankle can hold up.

Despite Kennard’s recent brilliance – he’s averaging 24 points in his last three games, including 28 against UNC – the Blue Devils likely won’t survive both Allen and Tatum having bad games. The freshman Tatum has struggled against the Tar Heels this season. He’s averaging 16 points on just 33 percent shooting in two games against them.

History will be on Duke’s side, though. The two ACC giants have incredibly met just five times in the ACC tournament since 1999, and the Blue Devils have won all five of them.

Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (27-6, 14-4 ACC)

Point Spread: -3.5

The North Carolina Tar Heels made very short work of Miami in their first tournament assignment. The Tar Heels got their revenge on the Canes, who blew them out during the regular season. North Carolina is now 6-1 in its last seven games, and 5-1-1 against the spread.

Isaiah Hicks continued his strong play of late with 19 points and 6 rebounds against Miami. In his previous game, he also came up huge with 21 points and 9 boards in a home win over Duke.

Hicks missed the Tar Heels’ loss to Duke in their first meeting, as they were surprisingly beaten on the boards by the Blue Devils. But with Hicks, Kennedy Meeks, and Tony Bradley all together and playing well, the Tar Heels should be able to assert their dominance down in the paint against a Duke team that has its struggles inside.

UNC will also have the advantage of being the much fresher of the two teams. Aside from playing one tournament game fewer due to their double-bye, they also got the huge benefit of resting their starters because of the Miami blowout, whereas Duke went through a physically and emotionally draining comeback win against Louisville. Justin Jackson was the only starter to play over 30 minutes.

Writer’s Prediction

North Carolina (-3.5) finally gets a tournament win over Duke as they beat the Blue Devils, 85-80.

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