The No. 7 Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels are scheduled to meet this coming Saturday for the first of two showdowns this season. While each team is heading towards opposite directions, anytime they meet is a can’t-miss sporting spectacle. Duke and North Carolina are +1200 and +8000 to win the national title, respectively.
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Betting Preview for the Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA College Basketball Game on February 8 2020
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill
When: Saturday, February 8, 2020, 6:00 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils (Odds) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (Odds) – view all 2020 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (19-3 Overall / 9-2 Conference)
The Blue Devils are definitely ready for their anticipated matchup against North Carolina this weekend. Duke scored a 63-55 win over the Boston College Eagles last Tuesday, albeit in a game that ended closer than what most people thought, as the Blue Devils did not cover their 14.5-point spread as favorites. That’s largely a result of Duke’s cold shooting, as the Blue Devils shot just 37.7 percent from the field and had an atrocious 1-of-15 line from behind the arc. While Boston College’s defense can be credited with solid defense, that could also be because the Blue Devils simply didn’t have it in that game. Duke is the second highest-scoring team in the nation with an average of 82.5 points per game and 24d in effective field goal percentage (54.1). KenPom also rates Duke’s offense fourth in efficiency with 117.4 points per 100 possessions.
The over is 7-3 in the Blue Devils’ last 10 games overall.
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (10-12 Overall / 3-8 Conference)
The season isn’t going the way North Carolina wants it to, and the more games they play, it seems that the lower they sink. In their latest outing, the Tar Heels suffered yet another loss, falling prey to the No. 8 Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee last Monday, 65-59. If anything, the Tar Heels made their bettors happy by covering the spread (+8.0) by the skin of their teeth. Prior to that, North Carolina embarrassed itself by losing to Boston College in Chapel Hill, 71-70. The Tar Heels, however, didn’t have the services of senior guard Brandon Robinson in the Florida State game due to a sprained ankle. Robinson is averaging 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on the season, so his availability for the Duke game is something that needs to be monitored. As bad as the season has been going for North Carolina, the Tar Heels can take pride in being the rebounding leaders in the nation. They are averaging 43.2 boards per game and could use that dominance on the glass to keep Duke from getting extra scoring chances.
The Tar Heels are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 78-63.
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