Duke vs North Carolina predictions, odds & picks for March 8 | College Basketball Season 2024-25

No. 2 Duke (27-3, 18-1 ACC) visits North Carolina (20-11, 13-6) on Saturday night in a rivalry game at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Both teams hope to end their 2024-25 regular season campaigns with a bang.

Duke is coming off a 93-60 win over Wake Forest, while North Carolina demolished Virginia Tech 91-59 in its previous encounter. When both teams met on Feb. 1 in the regular season, the Blue Devils won 87-70.

Here's a closer look into the matchup's predictions, odds and picks:

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Duke vs North Carolina prediction

Duke has been consistently demolishing its opponents since it lost to Clemson on Feb. 8. They trampled California (78-57), Stanford (106-70), Virginia (80-62), Illinois (110-67), Miami (97-60), Florida State (100-65) and Wake Forest.

Cooper Flagg has been at the forefront of this surge, leading the team in all statistical categories. The 6-foot-9 guard/forward, who is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks, is practically the heart and soul of the Blue Devils.

Designated sniper Kon Knueppel is Duke's second-leading scorer with 13.6 ppg and he has shot 39.5% from the 3-point line and 91.4% from the free-throw area. He can also crash the boards and find open guys for a dime, with 3.9 rpg and 2.5 apg.

Junior Tyrese Proctor is the Blue Devils' third option with averages of 11.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 2.2 apg, but Duke coach Jon Scheyer could dig deep and use Sion James, Khaman Maluach and Isaiah Evans as their main weapons in offense.

On the other shade of blue and white, RJ Davis is North Carolina's top producer, tallying 17.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.1 spg. The 6-foot guard has shot 40.3% from the field and 87.9% from the free throw line and though his numbers are down from last season, he remains a steady force in the Tar Heels offense.

Ian Jackson and Seth Trimble have provided help to Davis in offense. The 6-foot-4 Jackson has averaged 13.5 ppg and 3.0 rpg to be the team's No. 2 scorer, while the 6-foot-3 Trimble is approaching this rivalry game with averages of 12.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.4 spg.

Elliot Cadeau and Ven-Allen Lubin are the other reliables for Hubert Davis, who seeks to bounce back from that 17-point defeat and split the season series with a win on Saturday.

College basketball oddsmakers have Duke as a 10.5-point favorite with a moneyline of -535. On the other hand, North Carolina is given a moneyline of +400 and the total for this game is 158.5.

Prediction: Duke Blue Devils 84, North Carolina Tar Heels 74

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Duke vs North Carolina odds

Team	Spread	Total	Moneyline
Duke	-10.5 (-112)	Over 158.5 (-108)	-535
North Carolina	+10.5 (-108)	Under 158.5 (-112)	+400

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Duke vs North Carolina head-to-head

Duke and North Carolina meet for the 264th time in college basketball on Saturday, with the Tar Heels leading 145-118. Duke won the last matchup 87-70 on Feb. 1.

Since that loss, North Carolina has won seven of eight games, including six straight since Feb. 16. Duke also went 7-1, winning its last six games.

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Duke vs North Carolina Injury Report

North Carolina has no players on the injury report while Duke forward Maliq Brown is questionable due to a shoulder ailment.

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How to watch Duke vs North Carolina?

The Duke-North Carolina encounter will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

ESPN will broadcast the game on live television, with Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas calling the game and Jess Sims reporting from the sidelines. Fubo will provide the livestream content for this highly-anticipated contest.