Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/03/2024

Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Saturday, February 3, 2024

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

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Duke +5, UNC -5; Over/Under:  151 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Duke +5, UNC -5; Over/Under:  151 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Duke +5, UNC -5; Over/Under:  151 points

Duke Blue Devils:  16-4 (7-2) (2nd place, ACC)

North Carolina Tar Heels:  17-4 (9-1) (1st place, ACC)

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Duke Blue Devils:  4-1  last 5

North Carolina Tar Heels:  4-1  last 5

Duke is entering this game with a 16-4 record overall, a 7-2 record in conference games, and they are 4-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Virginia Tech Hokies in their last game. Jeremy Roach led the team in points per game in that game with 16 while Kyle Filipowski was next on the team with 14. Tyrese Proctor led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Jared McCain led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 55.4% from the field, 52.9% from 3-point range, and 60% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.2 PPG against them. Duke has an ATS record of 10-9-1 this season and their O/U record is 10-10.

North Carolina is entering this game with a 17-4 record overall, a 9-1 conference record, and they are 9-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their last game. RJ Davis led the team in points in that game with 28 while Armando Bacot and Cormac Ryan each were next on the team with 9. Elliot Cadeau led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Harrison Ingram led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 36.4% from the field, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 52.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.2 PPG against them. North Carolina has an ATS record of 13-8 this season and their O/U record is 9-11-1.

The current betting odds have North Carolina listed as a 5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. North Carolina has looked really good in their games this season with their 17-4 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and ranked as one of the best in the nation right now. They are at the top of the ACC with their 9-1 conference record and they have also looked great on their home court all year with their 9-0 home record. Meanwhile, Duke has also looked good in their games this season with their 16-4 record overall which also has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country, but Duke has also underperformed in some of their games which has them ranked lower than UNC coming into this one. They have looked really good in the ACC with their 7-2 conference record which has them near the top, but they have also struggled a little in their road games with their 4-2 road record. North Carolina also lost their last game by 1 point to Georgia Tech, who is near the bottom of the ACC, and they will be looking to bounce back with a much better performance here against another ranked opponent. North Carolina is making a case for themselves as the best team in the ACC this year and they will use this game to spread the gap between themselves and Duke in the conference. The best way to place a bet here is on North Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Duke North Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, February 3, 2024 (6:30 pm ET start time) is UNC 90 Duke 77.

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Duke Blue Devils: 18-28 ATS after a win by 10 points or more. 18-27 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 17-10 UNDER in road games. 14-7 UNDER after a game giving up 5 or less offensive rebounds. 5-1 UNDER after a game where they had 2 or less steals.

North Carolina Tar Heels: 12-6 ATS as a favorite. 11-5 ATS when the total is 150 to 159.5. 8-0 ATS off an upset loss as a road favorite of 7 or more. 10-5 UNDER when the total is 150 to 159.5. 9-1 UNDER against conference opponents. 8-4 UNDER after 3 or more consecutive unders.

Duke Blue Devils:  C. Reeves (C) out for season - Ankle. J. Schutt (G) out for season - Redshirt.

North Carolina Tar Heels:  None.

“I thought our team just had great togetherness. We hit some timely 3s and some guys stepped up in key moments.… Proud of this win. You get a chance to play two games in three days (Duke played Clemson on Saturday), and to win both of them is really good. Looking forward to building it from here.” - Jon Scheyer after his team’s win against VA Tech in their last game on Monday.

“They were able to make one more play than us.... It was a really good shot by George.” - Hubert Davis after his team’s loss against GA Tech in their last game on Tuesday.

K. Filipowski 

C. Foster 

J. McCain 

M. Mitchell 

J. Roach

A. Bacot 

E. Cadeau 

R. Davis 

H. Ingram 

C. Ryan

PPG: K. Filipowski (17.5)

APG: T. Proctor (3.9)

Reb/G: K. Filipowski (8.7)

PPG: R. Davis (21.5)

APG: E. Cadeau (3.7)

Reb/G: A. Bacot (9.9)

Coaches:

Duke Blue Devils: Jon Scheyer (2nd season)

North Carolina Tar Heels: Hubert Davis (3rd season)