Get ready for the intense rivalry! Explore our expert same game parlay picks for the North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils showdown. Bet smart!
- Date & Time
- January 30th, 2025
- Teams
Despite leading North Carolina to the NCAA Championship Game in his first season and coaching the Tar Heels to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year, Hubert Davis is on the hot seat. North Carolina is just 13-9 this season and is currently the second-to-last team in March Madness per the updated Bracketology from Joe Lunardi. The Tar Heels have lost three of their last four games and only have one quality win to their credit, but they could make a huge statement with a victory over the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night in Durham.
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There were concerns that Duke would take a step back from the national stage after Mike Krzyzewski stepped away from coaching in 2022. Coach K turned Duke basketball into an institution by leading the Blue Devils to five national championships during his tenure, so former player Jon Scheyer had some big shoes to fill when he took over on the sidelines. Scheyer led Duke to a 27-9 record in each of his first two seasons, and the Blue Devils look like one of the best teams in the nation this season. They have the nation’s longest current winning streak with 14 straight victories, and their only losses this season have been neutral site games to fellow blue bloods Kentucky and Kansas.
North Carolina played an extremely tough non-conference schedule. The Tar Heels lost close games to Kansas, Michigan State, and Florida, but they weren’t as competitive against Auburn and Alabama. Still, it looked like the Tar Heels would be a tournament team until the last couple weeks. UNC fell to Stanford, Wake Forest, and Pittsburgh, and the Tar Heels almost lost at home to a dreadful Boston College team before winning 102-96 in overtime. Needless to say, they have been dreadful to bet on with a 7-15 ATS record.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Duke Blue Devils SGP
Any conversation about Duke’s national title hopes starts with freshman phenom Cooper Flagg. The No. 1 overall recruit in the nation is considered a heavy favorite to win the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award per the CBB futures odds, and he is also a strong favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg is averaging 19.9 PPG and 8.0 RPG while making 48.7% of his field goals and 32.9% of his threes. He has taken his game to another level since putting 42 points on the board against Notre Dame three weeks ago though. Flagg has been stuffing the stat sheet and drawing a lot of fouls, and he has also been one of the top defenders to boot.
Duke’s size causes a lot of trouble for its opponents. All five starters for the Blue Devils are at least 6’6, and every rotation player for this team is at least 6’5. That has led to the Blue Devils ranking fifth in effective field goal percentage and first in two-point defense, and opponents have a hard time keeping Duke off the glass as well.
Whereas Duke has an abundance of size and length, none of North Carolina’s top five scorers are taller than 6’6. R.J. Davis is the leading scorer on the Tar Heels, averaging 17.6 PPG, but he is making just 30.3% of his threes. Seth Trimble and Elliott Cadeau are also guards that are struggling from beyond the arc despite averaging double digits in scoring, leaving Ian Jackson and Drake Powell as the only efficient perimeter shooters that see significant playing time.
Normally, I go with the underdog when I see double digits in a rivalry game. However, this game has all the makings of a blowout. Duke is riding high and is looking to extend its win streak to 15 games, while North Carolina has played poorly in four straight contests. The Blue Devils have a major size advantage that should allow them to dominate the boards too, so this game could get ugly in a hurry.
DUKE BLUE DEVILS VS. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS OVER
DUKE BLUE DEVILS TO COVER
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