{"id":53053,"date":"2015-02-16T15:34:59","date_gmt":"2015-02-16T20:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/?p=53053"},"modified":"2015-02-18T03:09:55","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T08:09:55","slug":"north-carolina-tar-heels-vs-duke-blue-devils-predictions-picks-odds-and-preview-february-18-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/north-carolina-tar-heels-vs-duke-blue-devils-predictions-picks-odds-and-preview-february-18-2015.html","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Predictions, Picks, Odds, and Preview \u2013 February 18, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The North Carolina Tar Heels are stumbling at exactly the wrong time. Their recent losing skid against top-flight competition hasn&#8217;t done them any favors\u00a0as the NCAA Tournament approaches in March.\u00a0The Tar Heels will have\u00a0another chance to prove their worth against\u00a0an old foe in No. 4 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Will North Carolina sink or swim against one of their fiercest rivals\u00a0in the conference? Read on as we give you our full analysis of this ACC clash.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t wait for March Madness before getting into the college basketball craze. There are a couple of big, exciting matchups on deck in Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame and <a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/kentucky-wildcats-vs-tennessee-volunteers-predictions-picks-odds-and-preview-february-17-2015.html\" target=\"_blank\">Kentucky vs. Tennessee<\/a>.<\/p>\n[sc:MarchMadness ]\n<h2>North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Preview<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where:<\/strong> Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC<\/p>\n<p><strong>When:<\/strong> Wednesday, February 18, 9:00 PM ET<\/p>\n<p><strong>Line:<\/strong> North Carolina Tar Heels (<strong>+8.5<\/strong>) at Duke Blue Devils (<strong>-8.5<\/strong>)\u00a0\u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/sportsbook\/college-basketball\/ncaa-mens\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>view all NCAA Basketball lines<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels<\/h3>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s 89-76 loss to Pittsburgh was a punch to the gut\u00a0of\u00a0North Carolina&#8217;s season. The\u00a0Tar Heels have lost three of their last four games, and could use a win over a ranked opponent more than ever. The Tar Heels are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against ranked opposition.<\/p>\n<p>[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Still, the Tar Heels may be able to challenge the top-ranked Blue Devils with their high-flying offense. Guard Marcus Paige leads the way with 13.9 points per game this season. He\u2019s been known to step it up a notch against the nation\u2019s big dogs, averaging 15.3 points per game against ranked opponents.<\/p>\n<p>Paige also leads North Carolina with 4.2 assists per game. Dishing out the dimes should help North Carolina spread out Duke\u2019s defense. The Tar Heels are the nation\u2019s top passing team with 17.6 assists per game.<\/p>\n<p>North Carolina has a couple of capable scorers in forwards Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks as outlets for his passes. Johnson has two double-doubles over the past five games, while Meeks has averaged 11.2 points per game.\u00a0Johnson and Meeks should be even more productive on the defensive end. Johnson has five blocks in the past three games, while Meeks has two.<\/p>\n<p>Will the Tar Heels get the job done against Coach K and the Blue Devils? <a title=\"Join Top Bet Sportsbook\" href=\"http:\/\/record.tbaffiliate.com\/_y8k7RB3Ll4xutv7iXV6HvmNd7ZgqdRLk\/9\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\" rel=\"nofollow\">Create a betting account now<\/a> and make your pick in this game between the big dogs in the ACC.<\/p>\n<h3>Betting on the Duke Blue Devils<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Jahlil-Okafor.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-53055\" src=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Jahlil-Okafor-600x419.jpg\" alt=\"Jahlil Okafor\" width=\"600\" height=\"419\" srcset=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Jahlil-Okafor.jpg 600w, http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Jahlil-Okafor-250x175.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jahlil Okafor stood proud and tall as\u00a0Duke bested Syracuse, 80-72, on Saturday. The 6\u201911\u201d freshman center scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. He hit all seven shots he attempted in the second half to lift Duke to the win.<\/p>\n<p>Okafor stands a good chance of once again dominating against North Carolina. He\u2019s averaging 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per conference home game this season. He\u2019s also averaged a\u00a0double-double against ranked teams in the ACC with 17.5 points and 10.8 boards per game. In its last four games, North Carolina has allowed opposing starting centers to shoot a combined 67 percent from the field.<\/p>\n<p>Quinn Cook and his outside shot should aid in opening up the paint against North Carolina. He has shot 42 percent from three-point range over his last three games. Cook may be help Duke\u00a0build a lead by burying some timely threes against the Tar Heels. North Carolina was outdone by Pittsburgh\u2019s three-point shooting (53 percent) on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Duke may even be more difficult to handle considering Tyus Jones\u2019 affinity for dishing out dimes in his last three games (25). Jones should be able to find the open passing lanes against North Carolina, who have\u00a0allowed a whopping 20.3 assists per game over its\u00a0last three.<\/p>\n<p>The Blue Devils are 1-3 ATS in home games against North Carolina since 2011.<\/p>\n<h3>Writer\u2019s Prediction<\/h3>\n<p>The Blue Devils fire on all cylinders at home. Duke (<a href=\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/sportsbook\/college-basketball\/ncaa-mens\" target=\"_blank\">-8.5<\/a>) gets the win and the cover.<\/p>\n[sc:NCAAB490Banner ]\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"53053\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;2,464&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;1&nbsp;views today<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The North Carolina Tar Heels are stumbling at exactly the wrong time. Their recent losing skid against top-flight competition hasn&#8217;t done them any favors\u00a0as the NCAA Tournament approaches in March.\u00a0The<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"53053\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;2,464&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;1&nbsp;views today<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":53054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[393,70],"tags":[972,835,2546,969,974,2754],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>North Carolina vs Duke Basketball Predictions, Picks, Preview<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Predictions, picks and preview for the North Carolina Tar Heels vs Duke Blue Devils NCAA basketball game on Feb. 18, 2015, courtesy of 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