North Carolina vs Duke Odds, Lines, and Spread
- The Duke Blue Devils (7-6, 5-4 ACC) host the North Carolina Tar Heels (11-6, 6-4 ACC) Saturday, Feb. 6
- Both teams are unranked heading into the matchup for the first time since the 1959-60 season
- Read below for odds, analysis, and our best bet for this matchup
The Duke Blue Devils (7-6, 5-4 ACC), once ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP poll this season, host the North Carolina Tar Heels (11-6, 6-4 ACC) in the latest installment of college basketball’s most storied rivalry Saturday, Feb. 6 in Durham. Tip is set for 6 p.m. ET inside Cameron Indoor.
Besides the number in front of each team’s name missing for the first time in over 60 years for this contest, the scene inside the iconic venue will be a stark contrast to how it usually looks. Cameron will be virtually empty, with fans, family members and the media not allowed in.
With a sterile atmosphere — and little fanfare — heading into a normally jazzed-up environment, the Devils are slight favorites in this one.
North Carolina vs Duke Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | +1.5 (-109) | +102 | N/A |
| Duke | -1.5 (-112) | -125 | N/A |
Odds taken Feb. 5 at DraftKings
North Carolina has won six of its last eight games. But the Tar Heels are coming off their worst performance of the season Tuesday in a 63-50 loss against Clemson. UNC committed 17 turnovers while scoring a season-low point total by missing shots beyond the arc (5-of-19 from 3-point range) and at the charity stripe (11-of-21 from the free throw line).
Duke’s 77-75 defeat to Miami Monday was nearly as dismal. The Blue Devils had blown out the Hurricanes by at least 30 points in three previous matchups. But Coach K’s club allowed the ‘Canes to shoot 53-percent overall and 54-percent from beyond the arc. Meantime, Duke shot just 28-percent (5-of-18) from distance.
An Offense Runs Through It
There may not be any Cameron Crazies wearing face paint in attendance this weekend, but the paint on Duke’s home court is where Roy Williams’ team hopes to do work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56G4Z1VHFs8
When UNC’s offense is humming, it runs through the post. Prior to Tuesday night’s significant hiccup (only 1 point in 19 minutes), sophomore big man Armando Bacot was leading the Heels in scoring, during conference play — averaging 13.4 points per game. The 6-foot-10 sophomore also grabs 7.1 rebounds per game (12th). The Heels also have senior Garrison Brooks and freshman Day’Ron Sharpe down low. The team team likes to incorporate a twin-towers-type offense most of the time.
The Tar Heels’ ability to dominate the boards — they’re second in the country in offensive rebounding percentage behind only Houston — will be another major factor Saturday. Can the Dukies combat that length on the blocks?
Duke and Cover
While Duke has historically been a solid 3-point shooting team, not so much this year. The Devils rank 9th in the ACC at 33-percent from downtown. But, the silver lining is this: Coach K’s guys are shooting a sizzling 53-percent from inside the arc in ACC play.
https://twitter.com/macyemeyer/status/1357378764389429248
If Duke can attack the basket, North Carolina is susceptible. But will Matthew Hurt and Co. have the patience to take quality two point shots—and resist the urge to heave shots from behind the 3-point line? It will be tempting, especially since UNC possesses the 262nd-ranked perimeter defense.
The Blue Devils have lost four of their last six, but freshman center Mark Williams in a player to watch — especially against UNC’s bigs. Williams had 11 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes in Duke’s 79-53 win over Clemson Jan. 30. While this team is primarily guard-oriented how Krzyzewski deploys Williams will be part of an interesting chess match between the two Hall of Fame coaches.
Pandemic Effect
As noted above, the Super Bowl didn’t even exist the last time what is typically the Super Bowl of college basketball rivalries is played with at least one of its combatants being ranked. But such is life in this season unlike any other.
So, why aren’t either North Carolina or Duke ranked? The simple answer is roster composition. Four of North Carolina’s top six scorers are freshmen — Caleb Love, Day’Ron Sharpe, R.J. Davis and Kerwin Walton. Three of Duke’s top four scorers are freshmen — DJ Steward, Jalen Johnson and Jeremy Roach.
Conversely, take away Jalen Suggs, and the two best teams in the country (Gonzaga and Baylor) are loaded with experience. You see where I’m going with this? COVID took away invaluable team building time and opportunities to create chemistry in the summer and early fall. Saturday, the team shows the maturity it has developed in-season should come out on top. Right now, that team seems like the Tar Heels.
The pick: North Carolina +1.5 (-109)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
