The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels aren’t quite in the upper echelon of college basketball like they are accustomed, but even in a down year they are both ranked nationally. One of the nation’s best rivalries will renew this week with plenty on the line when Duke travels to play North Carolina.
Neither team is likely to win the ACC but each is hoping to strengthen its NCAA Tournament seeding. The Blue Devils have been the better team this year but North Carolina is at home, which should make this affair a competitive one.
These teams have one of the best annual showdowns in college basketball and we could be looking at another classic.
At 8 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Thursday, February 8, 2018, at the Dean Smith Center.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Duke is 19-4 straight up 13-9 against the spread. The Blue Devils have played in seven road games this season and covered in four of them. Duke has only been the underdog one time this season and it will be interesting to see where the oddsmakers peg this one. The computer algorithms suggest they could be a slight favorite.
North Carolina is 17-7 straight up and 12-10-1 against the spread. The Tar Heels have done well at home, covering in eight of 11 attempts. North Carolina is 11-8 against the spread as the favorite and 0-2-1 as the underdog.
Key Stat
Four. That’s how many losses North Carolina has against ranked teams this season. The Tar Heels have a record of 2-4 against Top-25 foes.
The only two ranked opponents that North Carolina has defeated this year are Tennessee on December 17th and Clemson on January 16th. The Tar Heels turned around and lost to Clemson two weeks later and also have losses against Michigan State, Virginia and Florida State.
Duke, on the other hand, has a record of 4-1 against ranked opponents including wins against Michigan State, Florida and Florida State. It will be interesting to see if the home court advantage can help North Carolina in this one since it has not risen to the occasion so far in big matchups.
Player To Watch
Marvin Bagley III — Duke’s freshman forward has certainly lived up to the hype. Bagley, who reclassified during his junior year of high school to graduate a year early and go straight to college basketball, was one of the most hyped players coming into this season and has become one of the most dominant now that he’s arrived.
Bagley is averaging a team-high 21.4 points and 11.2 rebounds a game this year. He had 30 points and 14 rebounds in his team’s 65-63 loss to No. 2 Virginia on January 27th and finished with a combined 62 points and 36 rebounds in matchups against No. 24 Florida State and No. 7 Florida earlier this season.
The freshman sensation will likely be leaned upon a lot in this matchup against North Carolina as well, especially since the Blue Devils have gone 1-2 in their last three games. He is more than capable of taking over a game so the focus for the Tar Heels will to be to try to contain him.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Duke is the better team, with a legitimate superstar in Bagley and an experienced shooting guard to help calm the team on the road in Grayson Allen. However, the personnel advantage won’t make up for the home court advantage the Tar Heels will get.
The Dean Dome is going to be rocking. Take North Carolina to hit some big shots late to come away with a much-needed win. Check the spread to decide on which team is the right call to cover.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: North Carolina 85, Duke 83
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