Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels 3/9/19, Prediction & Odds

Blue Devils vs. Tar Heels Prediction

Rivals will clash tonight when the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will try to avenge last month's loss to the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. Will UNC notch another win today to finish off regular season sweep?

Game Snapshot

697 Duke Blue Devils at 698 North Carolina Tar Heels

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Dean E. Smith Center at 6PM ET

TV: ESPN

Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page.

 

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Tar Heels are a 4-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 166 points. As of Saturday morning, 71 percent of public bets are being placed on host North Carolina. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.

Blue Devils hold on versus Demon Deacons

Duke narrowly hung on for a 71-70 home victory Tuesday night as Wake Forest missed a shot at the buzzer. The Blue Devils (26-4, 14-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 35-34 at halftime in what was a close contest throughout. Duke shot 24-of-58 from the floor, 7-of-22 from 3-point distance plus 16-of-26 at the free throw line. R.J. Barrett paced Duke with 28 points on 11-of-23 shooting plus 6-of-14 at the charity stripe. He also recorded five rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Tre Jones added 13 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals.

Tar Heels move win streak to six

North Carolina earned a 79-66 victory last Saturday night at Boston College to improve to 25-5 overall and 14-3 in the ACC. The Tar Heels led 48-25 at halftime en route to the win. North Carolina shot 32-of-76 from the floor, 7-of-22 from 3-point range plus 8-of-13 at the free throw line. Cameron Johnson led the way with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting including 3-of-7 from 3-point range plus 1-of-1 at the free throw line. He also notched 12 rebounds and five assists. Luke Maye tallied 17 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and five assists. Coby White had 11 points, three assists and two caroms. Kenny Williams accounted for 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. Nassir Little added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

College Basketball Betting Trends

Duke

The Blue Devils are 4-1 ATS in their last five Saturday games. Duke is 2-5 ATS in its last seven Saturday games.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall. North Carolina is 3-9-1 ATS in its last 13 home games versus the Blue Devils.

Prediction:

The contest between these two teams at Duke was tainted when Blue Devils star Zion Williamson had his shoe explode in the first minute, leading to a sprained knee and an 88-72 UNC win. Williamson is unlikely to play today, but I expect Duke to be better prepared in his absence. While the Blue Devils have been up and down lately, they'll surely be up for this game and a chance to avenge a loss to their rivals. The spread seems a little too wide and I think the Blue Devils will stay within the number if not win outright.

 

NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: DUKE BLUE DEVILS +4