The Blue Zone brings you our prop bets for Duke's bout with North Carolina in the Tobacco Road Rivalry:
Duke (-3.5) vs. North Carolina
One of the narrowest spreads of the season will surely accompany one of the closest games. Duke and North Carolina have been stumbling throughout their respective seasons, but this rivalry game is a chance at redemption for both. With tournament appearances just barely still on the table, this game is almost as big as the Super Bowl for these teams. It will be an all-out battle, but with Duke taking the slight advantage in 3-point shooting, there should be just enough momentum to push the Blue Devils over the finish line. It’s doubtful that Duke or North Carolina fans will be able to relax until the final buzzer. That being said, Duke is better suited to come away with the win and the odds of getting a win and not covering a 3.5-point spread are not high enough to worry about.
Pick: Duke
Over/Under 145 Points
Neither the Blue Devils nor the Tar Heels have been exceptional offensively this year. Duke is averaging over eight less points per game than last season and North Carolina is on par with its 2019-20 offensive performance—which was over 13 points lower than the previous year. It may seem like I’m pushing for an under, but I don’t think that will actually be the case on Saturday. This isn’t an insurmountable over by any means. All it will take is a slightly above average scoring effort from each team and limited slumps from the stars. It wouldn’t be entirely shocking if the total score didn’t reach 145 points, but as they say, when in doubt, bet the over.
Pick: Over
Jalen Johnson and Matthew Hurt over/under 30.5 combined points
Simply put, if Hurt and Johnson don’t hit this over, the Blue Devils are not leaving Cameron Indoor Stadium with a win. The two stars have struggled to be on the same page all season, with the exception of Georgia Tech—in which Johnson scored 18 and Hurt scored 17. It seems like I am continuing to drive this point home, but this is the biggest game of the season. Not just because of the rivalry but because this is easily the most even matchup we’ve seen thus far between Duke and its opponent—with the possible exception of Louisville. Along with only having one effective star, Duke’s other habit has been playing to the energy of their opponent. As the stakes rise, so will the energy on the floor, and I believe that energy will push both Hurt and Johnson to the level they’ve been grasping at all season.
Pick: Over
Editor's note: This article is one of many in The Chronicle and The Daily Tar Heel's annual rivalry edition. Find the rest here.
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