The top seed for the ACC men’s basketball tournament is on the line in an old-fashioned Tobacco Road showdown.
The North Carolina Tar Heels make the short trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday night.
UNC vs. Duke odds, prediction
- Spread: UNC +4 (-113), Duke -4 (-110)
- Total: Over 163 (-110), Under 163 (-113)
- Moneyline: UNC +145, Duke -182
Odds via BetRivers
UNC vs. Duke pick
UNC sits atop the conference at 16-3, while Duke is one game behind at 15-4. The Tar Heels lock up the top seed with a win, while the Blue Devils need a victory plus a Clemson win over Wake Forest.
In the first matchup this season in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels outlasted the Blue Devils 93-84 as five-point favorites. Senior forward Armando Bacot scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting as the Heels avenged a pair of losses to the Blue Devils from last season.
Duke has won eight of nine games since falling to North Carolina last month with the lone defeat coming at Wake Forest. The Blue Devils are fresh off three consecutive blowout wins, capped off by a 79-64 triumph at North Carolina State.
The Heels are riding a five-game winning streak — most recently blowing out Notre Dame on Tuesday in 84-51 victory. UNC has been up and down on the road of late, splitting its last four games away from Chapel Hill with losses at Syracuse and Georgia Tech.
Out of Duke’s five losses against the spread as a favorite in ACC play, each came when laying at least seven points.
Considering the Blue Devils will be a much shorter favorite on Saturday, let’s lay the points with Duke at home against North Carolina.
Pick: Duke -4 (-110 at BetRivers)
