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The Duke Blue Devils will look to continue their recent dominance over the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels when they meet in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday. The Blue Devils (7-6, 5-4), who tied for second in the ACC with Virginia and Louisville at 15-5 and were 25-6 overall in 2019-20, have won three consecutive games over North Carolina. The Tar Heels (11-6, 6-4), who tied for 13th in the conference with Pittsburgh and Wake Forest at 6-14 and were 14-19 overall a year ago, are 2-5 on the road this season. Under coach Roy Williams, North Carolina has won seven times at Cameron Indoor Stadium against its Tobacco Road rival.

The game from Durham, N.C., is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET. Duke is averaging 74.2 points per game, while North Carolina is averaging 73.1. The Blue Devils are 3.5-point favorites in the latest North Carolina vs. Duke odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 145.5. Before making any Duke vs. North Carolina picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Duke vs. UNC. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for UNC vs. Duke:

  • North Carolina vs. Duke spread: Duke -3.5
  • North Carolina vs. Duke over-under: 145.5 points
  • North Carolina vs. Duke money line: Duke -180; North Carolina +155
  • UNC: Has scored 80 or more points four times this season, including three of the last six games
  • DUKE: Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt has scored 12 or more points, shot 40 percent or better from the field, made four or more field goals and played 29-plus minutes in every game this season

Why Duke can cover 

Freshman forward Jalen Johnson is off to a fast start to his collegiate career, averaging 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Johnson has reached double digits in five of 10 games this season, including two double-doubles. He scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds at Pittsburgh on Jan. 19, and had 19 points and 19 rebounds vs. Coppin State on Nov. 28. He is coming off a 13-point, seven-rebound performance at Miami on Monday.

Freshman Jeremy Roach continues to grow his game and snapped a two-game scoreless streak with a strong performance off the bench against Clemson in a win on Jan. 30. He scored 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting, while also adding three assists and three rebounds in 24 minutes of action. For the season, he is averaging 8.8 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. He is connecting on 43.6 percent of his field goals. He has reached double figures in seven games.

Why North Carolina can cover

The Tar Heels have a balanced offensive attack with seven players averaging 6.5 points per game or better, including three in double figures. Sophomore forward Armando Bacot leads North Carolina, averaging 11.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. He is hitting on 65 percent of his field goals, and has scored in double figures in 12 of 17 contests. Bacot has posted four double-doubles this season, including a 21-point, 10-rebound effort at Pittsburgh on Jan. 26.

Also making his mark is senior forward Garrison Brooks, who has been a force, playing 29 minutes per game. He is averaging 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. He is hitting on 45.1 percent of his shots from the floor, including 40 percent from 3-point range. He has reached double figures 10 times and has one double-double, a 16-point, 10-rebound effort against Syracuse on Jan. 12.

How to make North Carolina vs. Duke picks

The model is leaning under on the total, projecting both teams combine for 143 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins North Carolina vs. Duke? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.