The greatest rivalry in college basketball pens another chapter on Saturday night as the Duke Blue Devils host the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The pregame narrative: Saturday marks the 262nd meeting between these schools, and though UNC holds the upper hand overall, Duke is the program with greater hopes this season. I like No. 2 Duke to win comfortably at home, while R.J. Davis and Cooper Flagg should shine for their respective teams.
Check out my North Carolina vs. Duke same-game parlay predictions for the men’s college basketball matchup on Feb. 1.
North Carolina vs. Duke predictions
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Parlay: Duke -9.5 | Davis 15+ points | Flagg 6+ rebounds (+275)
Duke -9.5 (-205): Cameron Indoor Stadium is a bucket list destination for me. But if I was a Tar Heel, it’s the last place I’d want to be on Saturday night.
In addition to a hostile crowd, UNC will have to put up with a Duke squad that has been rolling for months.
- Duke owns the nation’s longest active win streak (14 games).
- The Blue Devils have won 15/20 games by 10+ points.
- The Blue Devils have won 10/12 home games by 10+ points.
North Carolina is coming in licking its wounds, with three losses in its past four games. The lone victory in that stretch came at home — in overtime — against woeful Boston College.
The Tar Heels are 2-4-1 ATS as underdogs this year and 7-14-1 ATS overall. Rivalry games can get weird, but I think it’s more likely that this one gets ugly.
Other parlay picks
Davis 15+ points (-182): UNC’s hopes at an upset rest in the hands of Davis, the fifth-year point guard who is 3-1 in his career at Cameron Indoor. And though I don’t think he can guide his team to a win, I do expect him to fill the net.
The Tar Heels’ offence is unlikely to get much going from the interior, given that the Blue Devils have the tallest team in Division I and allow the second-lowest 2PT% (41.0).
Davis leads his school in scoring (17.6 PPG) and 3-point attempts (6.9/game). He’s going to have to make something happen from the outside.
Last year’s Atlantic Coast Conference leading scorer has cashed this bet in 45 of 59 games (76.3%) since the start of the 2023-24 season.
Flagg 6+ rebounds (-345): While Davis’ time in the Duke/UNC rivalry is coming to an end, Flagg’s experience is just beginning.
It won’t last long, given that Flagg is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. But until then, he has an opportunity to make his mark against Duke’s most bitter rivals.
- Flagg has 6+ rebounds in 16/20 games.
- He’s averaging 8.0 RPG in his true freshman season.
UNC’s starting centre, Jalen Washington, missed last game with a knee injury and is questionable for Saturday. If he’s out or even limited, that helps Flagg.
Furthermore, the Tar Heels rank 249th in offensive rebounding rate (27.9%), per KenPom, so Flagg should have his way on the defensive side of things.
Picks made at 12:55 p.m. ET on 02/01/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.