The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.
Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.
No. 2 Duke hosts North Carolina on Saturday evening at 6:30 pm ET, and while this rivalry matchup doesn’t have the same allure as past seasons, UNC is a bubble team that badly needs this win if it wants a shot at making the tournament.
Let’s check out FanDuel Sportsbook’s college basketball odds to find the best bets and player props for Duke-UNC.
Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.
Duke at North Carolina Betting Picks
Duke -10.5 (-115)
Both Bart Torvik and KenPom rank Duke as the best team in the country, whereas North Carolina is roughly a top-40 team. Add in that the Blue Devils wiped the floor with the Tar Heels by 17 points at home roughly a month ago, and it’s easy to explain this double-digit spread.
However, UNC does enter Saturday’s bout having won six straight while averaging just under 90 points a game, so they could be in better form than the last time these two faced.
It still might not be enough.
The Tar Heels’ main problem this season has been preventing points, as they’re just 83rd in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Bart Torvik. Even amidst their six-game win streak, while they’ve been popping off on offense, they’ve ranked even worse in adjusted defense over this span (123rd), which is all the more concerning because none of the teams they’ve faced during that stretch ranks inside the top 70 in adjusted offense.
Further, none of the victories during that stretch qualified as a Quad 1 game and just one was a Quad 2.
Even North Carolina’s red-hot offense feels unsustainable, as they’ve boasted a 47.8% three-point percentage during the streak, yet rank just 89th in that category over the full seasons (35.4%).
There really isn’t anything to suggest the outcome should be much different the second time around, particularly versus a Duke team that’s lost just once in the last 24 games and routinely wins by double digits.
Bart Torvik gives the Blue Devils an 83% chance of winning, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them win comfortably again.
Kon Knueppel Over 14.5 Points (-108)
Considering we’ve established that UNC struggles defensively, it makes sense to expect Duke to put up its fair share of points, and Kon Knueppel is one such player who could perform well.
This line is slightly above Knueppel’s average points per game (13.6), but he’s scored 15+ points in four of his last five games, and he racked up 22 points when these teams played in February, tied for his second-best mark this season.
Knueppel often does much of his damage from beyond the arc, averaging 2.2 made threes per game with a 39.5% three-point percentage. This especially bodes well for him versus a team that’s 156th in three-point rate allowed.
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Which bets stand out to you across the nation tonight? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook’s latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.