North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Odds, Analysis, Betting Pick

The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils (24-6) will attempt to earn a split with the ninth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (22-8) and clinch the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament when the rivals meet Saturday.

The Tar Heels won the teams' most recent encounter 82-78 as 1.5-point home favorites on February 8.

Point spread: The Blue Devils opened as 7.5-point favorites; the total is at 162, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.

College basketball betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 74.0-65.1, Blue Devils. College basketball picks on every game.

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Why the Tar Heels Can Cover the Spread

North Carolina has gone 3-2 straight up and 2-2-1 against the spread in its past five meetings with Duke, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database. That includes a 76-72 upset win over the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium as 2.5-point road underdogs two years ago.

In the first meeting this season, the Tar Heels held a 37-29 advantage in the second half after trailing at halftime and saw four starters score in double figures, led by senior guard Joel Berry's 21 points. Coming off a home loss Tuesday to the Miami Hurricanes, they will be ready to rebound.

Why the Blue Devils Can Cover the Spread

Duke fell 64-63 to the Virginia Tech Hokies as a five-point road favorite Monday but has bounced back big from four of its previous five losses. The Blue Devils have gone 4-1 SU and ATS coming off a loss, with the average margin of victory in the four wins being 33 points.

The exception was the setback at Chapel Hill, which followed a stunning 81-77 loss to the St. John's Red Storm as 10.5-point road favorites on February 3. Duke then reeled off a five-game winning streak both SU and ATS after the loss to North Carolina before falling at Virginia Tech on Monday.

Smart Betting Pick

This is a key game for both schools in this intrastate rivalry, as a Tar Heels loss and road win by the Clemson Tigers on Saturday versus the Syracuse Orange would give the latter the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament.

The Blue Devils have won four of the past five home meetings in the series and six of the past eight, picking up an 86-78 victory as 2.5-point favorites in the most recent game between the teams at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 9, 2017. Bet Duke to get another win and cover here.

College Basketball Betting Trends

North Carolina is 5-2 ATS in its past seven games.

The total has gone over in four of North Carolina's past five games.

Duke is 5-1 ATS in its past six games.

All college basketball odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.