North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Pick & Prediction FEBRUARY 1st 2025

Stadium: Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham
Logo North Carolina Tar Heels
VS
Logo Duke Blue Devils
149.5
OPENER
-13.5

148o -110
CURRENT
-13 -115

+630
MONEYLINE
-880

0
SCORE
0

Preview and Prediction

Cooper Flagg, a player for Duke University, will experience his first encounter with the intense rivalry between two of North Carolina's top basketball teams this Saturday evening. The No. 2 Blue Devils will host the University of North Carolina at Durham, N.C.

In their past two games, Duke (18-2, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has managed to secure victories against in-state rivals Wake Forest and North Carolina State with margins of seven and ten points, respectively. This upcoming game against the Tar Heels (13-9, 6-4), who swept last year's series, will be the final match-up against an in-state opponent for the Blue Devils.

Both teams have remained composed in the days leading up to the game. After defeating North Carolina State 74-64 on Monday, Duke players and coach Jon Scheyer refrained from commenting on their next opponent. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, an alumnus of the school, also maintained a calm demeanor.

Davis stated, "We will prepare, practice, and play with the same level of competitive enthusiasm that we displayed against Pitt on Tuesday. Every game is like the Super Bowl. Whether it is a preseason game or any time we step out on the court, we must be ready to perform."

Davis made this statement after the Tar Heels suffered a 73-65 loss on the road against Pitt. They committed 14 turnovers and were outscored 16-6 in free throws, which negated their 10-point advantage in rebounds.

North Carolina needs to secure more quality wins to strengthen their case for the NCAA Tournament. A convincing victory against Duke would count as their second Quadrant 1 win.

Meanwhile, Duke has a strong argument for being the best team in the nation. On December 4th, the Blue Devils defeated the only team ranked above them in the AP Top 25 poll, Auburn, by six points at home.

Duke is currently on a 14-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. One of the key players contributing to their success is Cooper Flagg, a talented freshman and potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Flagg has been averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. In his last five games, he has averaged an impressive 27.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.

However, Flagg is not without flaws. After the game against North Carolina State, he revealed that Coach Scheyer had criticized him for being "too soft" in the first half. Flagg acknowledged that his lack of aggression had contributed to their struggles in the first half and that he needed to be more assertive with the ball.

In the second half of the game against North Carolina State, Flagg scored 23 of his 28 points and made 10 out of 11 free throws. His teammate Kon Knueppel also had a strong performance with 19 points, and Sion James contributed 13 points. Duke's defense also played a crucial role in their victory, holding North Carolina State to only 27 points in the second half.

According to Division I rankings, Duke currently ranks fifth in scoring defense (59.6 points per game), fifth in field-goal percentage defense (37.2), and first in 2-point percentage allowed (41.0). This could pose a challenge for North Carolina, a team that primarily relies on scoring inside the arc. Although guards RJ Davis (17.6 ppg), Ian Jackson (14.7), Seth Trimble (12.3), and Elliot Cadeau (10.7) all average double-digit points, only Jackson (38.1 percent) has a shooting percentage above 30.3 from the three-point line.

In the previous season, North Carolina won both games against Duke with scores of 93-84 and 84-79, respectively. However, Duke had swept the series the year before, resulting in a 2-2 record between Coach Scheyer and Hubert Davis. Overall, North Carolina leads the all-time series with 145 wins compared to Duke's 117.

PREDICTION
North Carolina Tar Heels
68
81
Duke Blue Devils

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Recap FEB 6TH 2021

Vernon Carey Jr. scored 25 points and No. 12 Duke fought off challenges from rival North Carolina to win its home finale, 89-76, on Saturday night in Durham, N.C.

Tre Jones had 21 points, Cassius Stanley added 19 points and Justin Robinson continued a late-season surge with 13 points for Duke.

Garrison Brooks reached the 25-point mark for the fourth game in a row for North Carolina, finishing with 26. Armando Bacot added 13 points and Brandon Robinson had 11.

The storied rivalry remained intense, but there was a different tone as the teams entered the last day of the season on opposite ends of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. Duke still had a chance to secure a share of first place, though that didn't pan out.

Duke (25-6, 15-5 ACC) will hold the No. 4 seed for the ACC Tournament with a quarterfinal game Thursday night. North Carolina (13-18, 6-14) will be the No. 14 seed for the 14-team ACC Tournament, which begins Tuesday in Greensboro, N.C.

The Tar Heels entered the day with a three-game winning streak for the first time since November.

Carey's three-point play created a 69-61 edge with 7:39 remaining.

When Robinson and Stanley connected on 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, the margin grew to 80-67 amid a deafening roar.

Duke led most of the first half, but the Tar Heels pulled even at 28-28. The Blue Devils surged again and led 42-34 at halftime.

North Carolina finished the first half with a collection of reserves on the court as four starters had two fouls each.

Bacot was back in the starting lineup after missing Tuesday night's victory against Wake Forest because of an ankle injury.

Then Saturday night, Robinson exited to the locker room with 1:41 remaining in the first half after taking a hard fall. He checked back in several minutes into the second half.

Last month, Duke rallied late in regulation and in overtime to pull out a 98-96 victory against the Tar Heels.

Last season, North Carolina swept the regular-season games before Duke won an ACC Tournament semifinal matchup.