It’s the showdown that seems out of a movie script. The Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels have never before met each other in the NCAA Tournament, but that’s about to change this Saturday. For the first time ever, the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels will square off in March Madness, with the winner advancing to the Finals. It can’t get any bigger than this, folks. Check out our preview below of this Duke-North Carolina Final Four matchup.
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Betting Preview for the Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA College Basketball Game on April 2 2022
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
When: Saturday, April 2, 2022, 8:49 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils (odds) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (odds) – view all 2022 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (odds)
Record: 32-6 Overall/16-4 Conference
The final season ride for Mike Krzyzewski is not yet over. Duke is playing at least one more game in March Madness after taking care of business in the Elite Eight round, downing Eric Musselman’s gritty Arkansas Razorbacks in a 78-69 victory. Now, they face their most bitter nemesis in the form of the Tar Heels, whom Duke is so familiar with. Duke defeated the Tar Heels, 87-67, on the road back in February but lost in the regular-season finale to the same team at home earlier this month, 94-81. In the win over North Carolina, AJ Griffin led the Blue Devils with 27 points, while Wendell Moore Jr. and Paolo Banchero each had 13 points. Duke’s offense was flowing smoothly in that game, as they kept on attacking the rim while making sure the floor is spread out by shooting well from deep. The Blue Devils went 9/19 from behind the arc in that contest and it appears that they are still hot from long range. In four games so far in March Madness, Duke has made 39.1 percent of their shots from the 3-point area. Meanwhile, their defense has been terrific as well, holding down their past four opponents to just 42 percent shooting from the floor.
Duke is 3-0 against the spread in its last three games overall.
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (odds)
Record: 28-9 Overall/15-5 Conference
It’s the Tar Heels who ended the magical run of the St. Peter’s Peacocks in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, as they defeated the Cinderellas in the Elite Eight round, 69-49. The Tar Heels have proven over and over again that they belong in March Madness to silence their critics. They are also the ones who eliminated the 2021 national champions from the tournament with a second-round win over the Baylor Bears, 93-86, before dispatching off another finalist in last year’s Big Dance in a 73-66 win in the Sweet Sixteen round against the UCLA Bruins. North Carolina is doing it with defense. It has yet to allow an opponent to record a better effective field goal percentage over 50%. Three of the Tar Heels’ last four opponents had not even gone beyond 42 effective field goal rate. Another huge key for the Tar Heels is their scorching hot shooting from deep. They are way better in that department than Duke in terms of totals. North Carolina is knocking down 11.5 threes on 37.4 percent shooting from the 3-point region in the last three outings prior to the St. Peter’s game. In their win over Duke back in the regular season, the Tar Heels hit nine threes on 23 attempts while going 19/22 from the foul line, which was a sign that the Blue Devils are vulnerable defensively when up against North Carolina.
North Carolina is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 80-74.
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