North Carolina vs Duke Prediction 3/7/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The UNC Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Cameron Indoor Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a UNC Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils prediction.

UNC Tar Heels Recap

The UNC Tar Heels come into this game looking to add on to their 67-63 win over Clemson last time out to sit at 24-6 this season.

Tar Heels Win 4 In A Row

Caleb Wilson leads the Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding with 19.8 PPG and 9.4 RPG along with 2.7 APG but is out for the season with an injury while Henri Veesaar has 16.4 PPG with 9 RPG. Seth Trimble has 13.9 PPG along with 3.8 RPG and 2.4 APG to cap off the Tar Heels’ group of double-digit scorers. Kyan Evans has 2.9 APG to lead the Tar Heels in assists while Luka Bogavac has 9.8 PPG with 2.4 RPG and 2.4 APG so far this season. As a team, North Carolina is averaging 81.8 PPG on 47.6% shooting from the field, 34.5% from three and 69.2% from the foul line this season. 

Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win

– North Carolina has won nine of its last 10 games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
– Duke has lost three of its last four games as a top-3 AP-ranked team against an AP-ranked team at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
– North Carolina has won the first half in four of its last five games as an AP-ranked team at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke Blue Devils Recap

The Duke Blue Devils come into this game looking to pile on to their 93-64 win over NC State last time out to sit at 28-2 this season. 

Blue Devils Win 7 In A Row

Cameron Boozer leads Duke across the board with 22.6 PPG, 10 RPG and 4 APG while Isaiah Evans has 14.6 PPG with 2.9 RPG and Patrick Ngongba II has 10.7 PPG with 6 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Duke up to this point in the year. Caleb Foster has 8.6 PPG with 3.7 RPG and 2.9 APG and Cayden Boozer has 6.4 PPG with 2.8 APG as well this season. As a team, Duke is averaging 83.2 PPG on 49.9% shooting from the field, 35.5% from three and 72.7% from the foul line this season.

Why the Duke Blue Devils will win

– Duke has won each of its last 31 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
– North Carolina has lost seven of its last eight games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
– Duke has won the first half in each of its last 19 night games as a top-5 AP-ranked team.

Total Points Facts

– Nine of North Carolina’s last 10 games against AP-ranked opponents at Cameron Indoor Stadium have produced a total of 148+ points.
– Each of Duke’s last five games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 139 or fewer points.

UNC Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Prediction

I’m on Duke here. UNC has been in a nice run of form despite having Caleb Wilson out of the lineup, but the thing for me here is that the majority of the teams UNC have played have been beatable. This is a huge number for a rivalry game, but Duke lost the first meeting in head-scratching fashion, and since that loss have been drilling pretty much everyone. Give me Duke.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Duke -17.5