Just in case the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels needed any more motivation in advance of their storied rivalry this weekend, each will enter after a loss last time. Duke fell to Virginia Tech and North Carolina lost to Miami. Neither wants to wrap up the regular season with two consecutive losses and the standard bragging rights will be on the line in this gargantuan ACC matchup.
Both teams are still among the best in the country in 2017-18, although not quite the odds-on title favorites like each has been in the past. Duke has been a tad better this year and has the home court advantage, so it will be favored to win this game and avenge the loss earlier this season at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels would love to spring the upset as they push for a No. 2 seed in March Madness.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Cameron Indoor Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
North Carolina is 22-8 straight up and 16-12-1 against the spread. The Tar Heels have gone 4-5-1 against the spread on the road this season. North Carolina has only been the underdog three times this season. It has failed to cover in two of those, and the third game was a push.
Duke is 24-6 straight up and 18-11 against the spread. The Blue Devils have covered in nine of their 14 attempts at home this season. Duke has done a nice job as the favorite, covering in 17 of 27 attempts.
Player To Watch
Marvin Bagley —The Duke freshman phenom missed four games recently with a knee sprain but has returned to the lineup. He is a huge asset for the Blue Devils, averaging 20.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest.
Bagley is expected to be one of the top picks in the NBA draft after this season. He returned to the court on Feb. 24 against Syracuse and finished that game with 19 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting from the field.
He was present for the recent loss to the Hokies, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Bagley played 36 minutes in that game so he seems to be back at full strength.
Last Meeting
The Tar Heels pulled out a close one the first times these two teams met this season. North Carolina trailed by 12 points early but rallied for the 82-78 win behind 21 points from Joel Berry.
The Tar Heels shot just 39 percent from the field but incredibly only had two turnovers in the entire contest. They also secured six more rebounds than Duke, which resulted in the critical home win.
Duke shot 48.4 percent from the field, and the lack of turnovers for the Tar Heels seems like a fluke, so if the Blue Devils play a similar game they should be able to come away with a victory.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
These two storied programs are once again in the national championship hunt. North Carolina is a very good team but Duke is a small step above. Additionally, the Blue Devils will be playing at home in front of a crowd that is guaranteed to be raucous.
If Bagley was still hurt the Tar Heels would have been the pick, but his presence is huge and it should be the difference. Take Duke to not only win this game but also cover the spread. The Blue Devils will wrap up the regular season on a high note by taking care of business as the favorite.
NCAA Odds: Duke 91, North Carolina 83
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