The North Carolina Tar Heels are one win away from getting at least a share of the regular season ACC title, and they could be two or three wins away from a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This task in the regular season finale isn't going to be an easy one though, as they have to take on the hated Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor.
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SCHEDULING
This is the North Carolina/Duke rivalry. There isn't much better than this in college basketball, and live bettors won't have to worry about either team getting up for this game. Duke played last on Tuesday night against Wake Forest, while UNC last played on Monday against Syracuse. Fatigue won't be a factor, and both teams will have at least a few days off in a row to get ready for the ACC Tournament next week.
KEY MATCHUP
The real key here is on the glass. We know that North Carolina is going to win the rebounding battle, especially after doing so by a wide 44-29 margin a few weeks ago. The question for live bettors is how many possessions will be saved by second-chance points.
The Tar Heels are masters of the offensive rebound, and Duke barely mustered half of the rebounding shares on the defensive end of the court in February. North Carolina didn't convert those rebounds into as many points as you'd think though, and shooting just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc was a main reason for that.
Brice Johnson had 29 points and 19 boards on his own, but if Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks, and the rest of the UNC bigs can put together complementary performances to that one, unlike what happened at the Dean Dome, the Tar Heels should consistently have success in live betting in this game.
Conversely, if Duke can turn North Carolina into a one-man team as it did for the most part in February, this could become an interesting game. The Blue Devils have played really well at home of late, most notably getting wins over Louisville and Virginia on their home court, and a lot of that has revolved around better-than-normal defensive splits and good defensive rebounding.
You hate to say that Duke needs to slow this game down to win it, but there's no doubt which team is the more talented on the floor. Limiting possessions will be the key to success in live betting, especially when it comes to giving the Tar Heels second chances.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
Both of these teams have been struggling of late offensively. The Blue Devils have played seven straight under games and haven't scored more than 80 in any of the seven. North Carolina has failed to crack 80 in three in a row, keeping two of those three under the total.
Live bettors who played the under at any point in the first half were rewarded handsomely in the first meeting of these arch rivals. There were 88 points on the board in the first half, a number which easily put the game on a clip to exceed the total of 163. However, in the second half, the basketball game slowed down dramatically, and there were gobs of empty possessions, resulting in just 59 points in the second half.
Matt Jones, who was concussed in the first half of that first game and left without scoring a single point, has been back in the fold for three straight games and has played effectively. He could end up being a big difference-maker for live bettors as well in this game, especially knowing that he is shooting 42.4 percent from long range this season.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The showdown between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils will start at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN.
