It's game day, and the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils are ready for the No. 14 UNC Tar Heels in the rivals' first meeting of the regular season.
While the Blue Devils have been one of the most dominant teams in the country so far, rivalry games ignore rankings, records, and stats.
So, this game could truly be anyone's for the taking, especially with the two teams meeting in Chapel Hill instead of Durham.
No. 4 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 14 UNC Tar Heels final odds
- Spread: -5.5 Duke
- Money line: -260 Duke, +210 UNC
- Point total (over/under): +/-152.5
This game has some of the closest odds that the Blue Devils have seen in a long time, with Duke only favored by a mere 5.5 points over the Tar Heels.
Odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are liable to change at anytime.
Player-specific odds for Duke men's basketball vs. North Carolina
- Cameron Boozer (DUKE): +/-23.5 points, +/-9.5 rebounds
- Patrick Ngongba II (DUKE): +/-10.5 points, +/-5.5 rebounds
- Isaiah Evans (DUKE): +/-13.5 points
- Caleb Wilson (UNC): +/-17.5 points, +/-8.5 rebounds
- Henri Veesaar (UNC): +/-14.5 points, +/-8.5 rebounds
- Seth Trimble (UNC): +/-12.5 points
Yet again, Duke star freshman Cameron Boozer is expected to lead the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding, something that he has done all season. Similarly, North Carolina star freshman Caleb Wilson is expected to lead the Heels in points and rebounds.
Final score prediction: 68 Duke, 63 UNC
While I expect the Blue Devils to walk away with the win, I don't think it will be a runaway victory for Duke. The home crowd and the intensity invoked by a rivalry matchup will help the Tar Heels stay in the game, but probably won't be enough to push UNC to the win.
Duke and North Carolina are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 7, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.