It doesn’t get any better than this for college basketball fans. The heated ACC rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, sparked by greatness on the hardwood and the short distance between the schools, is revived on Saturday night.
With national player of the year candidate Cameron Boozer, some will argue Duke is the best team in the country. They have just one loss and bring a 10-game winning streak into this matchup. UNC would like nothing more than to hand their Tobacco Road counterpart a first ACC loss.
Duke at North Carolina Preview
The first of two games in a month between the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels takes place on Saturday, February 7, 2026 from the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET with television coverage provided by ESPN.
Public Betting Odds Factors
- Duke has waltzed through its last 6 opponents winning every game by at least 14 points with 2 of them decided by at least 30 points. At plus-20.5, Duke has the 7th best point differential in DI.
- They aren’t as prolific scoring the basketball as they’ve been in previous years, but the Blue Devils are efficient. They shoot nearly 50 percent from the field as a team and average 84.1 points, 38th in DI. But the Blue Devils boast the 5th most efficient offense in the country according to kenpom.com.
- As good as they are on offense, Duke might be better defending. The Devils allowed just 49 points to BC in their most recent win and have limited 5 of their past 6 opponents to less than 60 points. They cashed the UNDER on the college basketball betting line five times in that span.
- Cameron Boozer entered the BC game leading the nation in scoring. He dropped out of the top spot after tallying 19 points, 12 rebounds and 5 steals in the 67-49 triumph. Boozer averages 23.3 points and has at least 20 in 13 of the team’s 22 games.
- North Carolina enters on a 4-game winning streak after knocking off Syracuse 87-77 on Monday night. The Heels responded nicely after getting swept by Stanford and Cal on their Northern California trip a little over two weeks ago.
- Caleb Wilson leads the team averaging 20.0 points while shooting better than 58 percent from the field. Luka Bogavac, Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar also average in double figures helping UNC score more than 83 points per outing.
Duke at North Carolina Predictions
- UNC has to feel good about the upset chance. The Heels were in the dumps just a few weeks ago dropping 3 of 4 games, including both on their California trip. They regrouped, though, to beat Notre Dame by 21 and stun then No. 14 Virginia, 85-80, on the road.
- This rivalry is always intense and the games more often than not the games are close. The Heels will be getting points, but backed by the home fans I like UNC for the cover.
Duke at North Carolina Betting Tips
- Playing against double-digit spreads in 5 of their last 6 games, the Blue Devils were still able to go 5-1 against the NCAA basketball spread in that span. They are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 ACC games with 13 payouts in 22 games overall.
- Duke has also played UNDER the total in 3 straight games and 5 of their last 6. For the season the UNDER is 15-7.
- The Heels have cashed the OVER in each of their last 8 games while going 3-1 ATS in their last 4 outings.
- UNC has won all 13 home games this season going 8-5 ATS.
Duke at North Carolina Head to Head and Key Stats
- Duke has won the last 3 meetings and 5 of the last 7. The Blue Devils prevailed 74-71 in the most recent matchup in last season’s ACC tournament.
- 5 of the last 7 games between the two were decided by a single digit with 4 of them by 6 points or less.
- Duke has won 3 of the last 4 meetings at UNC with payouts in each of their wins.
- The last 2 matchups played UNDER the total after 6 of the previous 8 went OVER the closing total.
