Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Barring another bout of inclement weather, Duke and North Carolina will finally clash for the first of two regular season meetings tonight. Although neither the Blue Devils nor the Tar Heels will be in their usual places atop the ACC, both teams have shot up the standings thanks to very impressive winning streaks in the build-up to another closely-contested battle between the conference’s elite.

Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview

Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Game Details:

When: 9:00 PM ET, February 20, 2014

Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Game Odds:

Money: Duke (-130) vs. North Carolina (+110)

Spread: Duke (-2) vs. North Carolina (+2)

Total: 149.5

Betting on Duke

If not for that overtime defeat to #1 Syracuse, #5 Duke would be putting its double-digit winning streak on the line at the Dean Dome. As it stands, the Blue Devils have won four straight games since their loss to Orange, and are 9-1 SU/8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.

[sc:NCAAB240banner ]More impressively, Duke is blowing out its opponents on the road. As mentioned earlier, they pushed Syracuse to the edge at the Carrier Dome. But in the last four road games they did win – which includes one against #18 Pitt – they have won by an average of 18.5 points.

Wooden Award candidate Jabari Parker has been incredible during their current winning streak, averaging over 22 points and 11 rebounds in his last four games. He’ll be instrumental if Duke is to win its fourth in a row at the Dean Dome.

Betting on North Carolina

North Carolina could not be better prepared to end its three-game losing streak against its biggest rivals. After a rocky start to conference play, the Tar Heels are an immaculate 7-0 SU and ATS in their last seven games.

Prior to postponement of the Feb. 12th game against Duke, UNC had been riding a five-game winning streak during which it won all games by double-digits. The Tar Heels have since added two more impressive wins against #25 Pitt and at Florida State.

Not surprisingly, point guard Marcus Paige has been the catalyst for their much-improved play. The sophomore has been very consistent, scoring 15 or more points in each of the last seven games, while averaging 18 points and six assists during that time.

Picking a Winner

With both teams in the midst of terrific runs, there’s very little to choose from between the two. But one team must prevail, and it will probably come down to the play of either team’s star player. Paige will be playing desperate in an effort to end the Tar Heels’ string of defeats to Duke, while Parker will be hungry to taste victory in his first – and perhaps only – visit to UNC.