Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels on CBS – Odds, Free Picks, and Predictions -ACC NCAA Basketball Betting 3/5/11: Guard Nolan Smith with lead the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on the road to the Dean E. Smith Center to take on forward Tyler Zeller and the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on CBS Sports. The Tar Heels enter the game on a 6 consecutive victory streak at 23-6, 13-2 and a 14-1 record at home this season while the Blue Devils have won 1 and sit 27-3, 13-2 and both clubs are tied atop the Atlantic Coast Conference with the winner the ACC regular season Champion. Duke beat Carolina on their home court in February.
“It makes the rivalry what it is when players are very confident,” Duke guard Nolan Smith said. “It’s going to be a great setting,” Smith told Duke’s official website. “We’re going into their house now, so we’re going to have to take the fight to them.” Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski has lots of experience against the Tar Heels and know they are a good team and in that hostile environment his players will need to stay focused. “To me, they have as talented a team as there is in the country,” Krzyzewski said. The odds makers at Bodog have the North Carolina Tar Heels a -1 1/2 point favorite at home against the Duke Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils are coming off a victory 70-59 at home over the Clemson Tigers to move them to 15-13 ATS for the season. Smith led the way in his last game at home with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists while fellow senior Kyle Singler added 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Guard Seth Curry also chipped in 18 points for the win. Duke is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against North Carolina. Vegas odds makers have the Duke Blue Devils +400 to win the 2011 NCAA Championship.
North Carolina’s most recent victory came 72-70 on the road over the Florida State Seminoles moving them to 14-10 ATS but are just 7-8 ATS at home for the season. Forward John Henson led the Heels with 19 points and 12 rebounds while forward Harrison Barnes added 18 points and 4 boards. The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Carolina’s last 6 games when playing Duke and North Carolina is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Duke. Vegas odds makers have the over/under for the total score at 139 points combined of the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels.
MATCHUP: No. 4 Duke (27-3) at No. 13 North Carolina (23-6)
GAME TIME: 8:00 PM EST
TELEVISION: CBS
Recent Duke and North Carolina Betting Odds Trends:
Duke: Under is 41-16 in DUKE last 57 vs. Atlantic Coast.
North Carolina: NOCAR are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
Under is 24-9 in NOCAR last 33 vs. Atlantic Coast.
Under is 12-5-1 in NOCAR last 18 Sat. games.
Head to Head: Underdog is 14-6 ATS in the last 20 meetings.
NCAA Basketball Vegas Odds:
Favorite: North Carolina -1
Total: O/U 149.5
* Morning Lines at the Mirage in Las Vegas
NSAwins Blog Writer Rich Fritz’s Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels Free College Basketball Picks 3/5:
Play Duke +1
Bet this play at BoDog Sportsbook and get a 100% BONUS upto $250 FREE!
Check out NSAwins.com daily in March for 2011 NCAA Tournament betting information including 2011 NCAA Tournament Betting Lines and 2011 expert free picks on NCAA Tournament matchups to help you win your 2011 NCAA Tournament Office Pool Bracket predictions!