Opening Duke vs UNC Odds – Blue Devils Favored in Final Four

• Duke has opened as a 4.5-point favorite over North Carolina in the Final Four on Saturday (April 2)
• The longtime rivals split two games in the ACC during the regular season
• The winner advances to play Villanova or Kansas for the national championship

Duke has opened as a 4.5-point favorite over North Carolina an NCAA Tournament national semifinal next Saturday at New Orleans as the two backyard rivals meet for the first time ever in March Madness.

Duke (32-6/20-16-2 ATS) has won six of its last seven games and 13 of its past 15. North Carolina (28-9/20-16-1 ATS) is on a run of 10 wins in its last 11 games.

Duke vs North Carolina Odds

Odds as of March 27 at Barstool Sportsbook.

Duke has a  66.67% implied win probability as -200 moneyline favorites.

The winner advances to the championship game to meet Villanova or Kansas on April 4 in the March Madness bracket. Duke is favored to take it all as its odds to win the NCAA Tournament are +175 while North Carolina is listed at +600.

Duke won the West Region as the #2 seed, beating Arkansas 78-69 on Saturday in the final at San Francisco. Despite being seeded eighth, North Carolina captured the East Region by dismantling upstart Saint Peter’s  69-49 on Sunday in the final at Philadelphia.

First coach to reach a Final Four in FIVE different decades 🤯✂️🐐 pic.twitter.com/usU94f81tL

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 27, 2022

The teams met twice in the ACC during the regular season with each winning on the road – Duke 87-67 on Feb. 5 and North Carolina 94-81 on March 5 in Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Coach K Moves On

Duke’s win over Arkansas gives Krzyzewski his 13^th berth in the Final Four, breaking the record he shared with John Wooden. Coach K has won five national titles.

A.J. Griffin led a balanced Duke attack with 18 points. Paolo Banchero added 16 points and seven rebounds, Wendall Moore Jr. contributed 14 points and Mark Williams finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Think Paolo Banchero was calm under pressure? He winked at the camera with 34.7 seconds left 😅 pic.twitter.com/Z3OAuqrP6l

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2022

Duke shot 54.7% (29 of 53) and outrebounded Arkansas 34-25. That helped the Blue Devils overcome 15 turnovers.

Banchero, who has +11500 Wooden Award odds, was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player. He scored 22 points in the semifinals when Duke beat Texas Tech 78-73.

The Blue Devils opened the tournament by defeating Cal State Fullerton 78-61 and Michigan State 85-76.

Heels Roll into Final Four

The rout of Saint Peter’s came after the North Carolina beat UCLA 73-66 in the semifinals.

Armando Bacot had 20 points and a whopping 22 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels over the Peacocks on Sunday. The Tar Heels dominated the boards 49-33 and held Saint Peter’s to 30.0% (18 of 60) from the floor.

Armando Bacot makes history 💪 pic.twitter.com/vYpM19GvXz

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) March 27, 2022

Bacot was named the region’s MOP.

Brady Manek added 19 points and eight rebounds for the winners. Caleb Love finished with 14 points despite going 2 of 10 from three-point range as North Carolina made just 6 of 22 (27.3%) attempts from beyond the arc.

Under first-year coach Hubert Davis, North Carolina routed Marquette 95-63 to being its run to the Final Four. The Tar Heels then knocked off defending champion and #1 seed Baylor 93-86 in overtime in the second round.

Tobacco Road Detours South

Duke has been a winner in three straight games against the spread after failing to cover as 18.5-point favorites against Cal State Fullerton. North Carolina is 4-0 ATS in the NCAA Tournament, including easily covering the 8.5-point spot against Saint Peter’s.

The 4.5-point spread seems just about right in a rivalry game that will be played for the 258^th time. The line could move just a tad toward North Carolina as bettors might be tempted to jump on a hot team.

Also see:

• Opening Kansas vs Villanova Odds Favor Jayhawks in Final Four