NCAA Basketball Picks February 20 – North Carolina Tar Heels at Duke Blue Devils Betting
It’s the best college basketball rivalry with all the trimmings. The schools are located within a stones throw of each other. They compete in the same conference. And they are always some of the best in the country.
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Things are no different for the first meeting of the season between the North Carolina Tar Heels and newly minted No. 1 Duke Blue Devils. The teams have combined to win or share 49 regular season ACC titles since the league was founded in 1953 and they are on top of the standings once again with Duke leading UNC by a game.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Duke Blue Devils
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
Opening CBB Odds: Duke -9, O/U 166.5
North Carolina at Duke TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
Questions arose about the Tar Heels after a two-game stretch that saw them barely get by a bad Miami team in overtime and a loss to Virginia, both taking place in the Dean Dome. But UNC responded the way good teams do by thrashing Wake Forest, 95-57, last Saturday for the biggest road win in conference play for the program. Sure enough Wake is struggling, but the Heels did what they had to and showed no mercy.
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That same mindset will come in handy when dealing with the Cameron Crazies. Oh, and there are those freshmen studs that have lifted Duke to the No. 1 ranking that the Heels will have to contend with. At least they washed the bad taste of that Virginia loss out of their system and will carry some momentum from that thrashing of Wake.
Duke is always a tough out at home no matter who’s in the lineup. They are 13-1 at Cameron Indoor this season with the lone defeat in overtime to Syracuse in the middle of last month. The Devils are 9-0 since then and they’ve won in a variety of ways. They knocked off their closest competitor in the conference twice by slapping the highest point totals on stingy Virginia. They’ve also played defense. But most of all the kids like to run. Duke scores 86.4 points per game and dropped 94 in a win over NC State the last time out.
North Carolina
While the Dookies rely on their crop of one-and-doners, the Heels are boosted by the play of senior leaders Luke Maye, Cameron Johnson and Kenny Williams. The trio has combined for nearly 50 percent of the team’s total scoring and it’s been over that number in the last five outings. Johnson had himself a day in the rout of Wake scoring 27 points on near perfect shooting. He made his first eight shots helping UNC score the first 18 points, and he finished 10 of 13 from the field and 7 of 10 from behind the arc.
Of course scoring is nothing new for the Heels, who reached the 90-point mark for the 11th time this season. They rank higher than Duke in points per game with 87.5 per outing, they just aren’t as flashy. The seniors have a calming influence, but Coby White could be what gives UNC an edge. The freshman is active scoring 15.7 points per game, including a 33-point night in UNC’s overtime thriller with Miami. He leads the Heels in assists and is a tenacious defender. He’ll have to come up big for UNC to have a chance.
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Duke
Proving last week they can run with anyone and no deficit is too large, the Dookies moved back into the No. 1 ranking in the national polls. Louisville was thwarted in its attempt to pull off the upset, relinquishing a 23-point advantage in the second half in what was the defining moment for Duke’s pack of freshmen. They didn’t play their best, but the Devils picked it up when trailing and escaped with a two-point victory. They ended the week by taking down NC State, 94-78.
All the attention is thrown at Zion Williamson, who has become the favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the next NBA draft. And why not, the kid can do it all. He averages 22.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while playing just over 29 minutes a contest. He dropped 32 on the Pack over the weekend and was overshadowed by R.J. Barrett, who collected a triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
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Considering how good the programs have been over the years it isn’t surprising that the matchups have been close and fairly evenly divided. The teams have split the last eight meetings and only one of the past 12 was decided by more than 10 points. Offense has been the staple for both sides, but they can also play some defense. I expect this one to be a little lower scoring than most anticipate with Duke’s youthful enthusiasm and superior talent prevailing.
CBB Score Prediction: Duke 77, North Carolina 73
