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UNC vs. Duke: How to watch, odds, picks, final score predictions from ESPN, KenPom

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax02/04/23

BarkleyTruax

North Carolina v Duke
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Duke and North Carolina are set to renew college basketball’s most iconic rivalry Saturday evening. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the blockbuster, blue-blooded battle.

How to watch UNC vs. Duke

Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. ET

Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium

Channel: ESPN

Vegas odds

Duke is a 2.5-point favorite over North Carolina on Saturday, according to VegasInsider. The over-under is set at 144.5 points.

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Duke

Win probability (for Duke): 68.9%

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Duke 73, UNC 70

Win probability (for Duke): 64%

KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Like ESPN, KenPom projects that Duke comes away with a victory over North Carolina.

More on UNC vs. Duke

The 259th all-time meeting between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels will get underway from Durham Saturday evening. All major predictors favor Duke, but as history has told us more than once — this game could go either way regardless of predictions. It’s the one matchup every season you can’t predict the outcome.

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Heading into Saturday, Duke has won three of its last four games and will be looking to notch its third-straight ACC win against Carolina. The Tar Heels on the other hand are reeling following a 65-64 heartbreaker against Pitt which snapped a four-game win streak of their own.

Both teams are sitting in the middle of the pack in the ACC right now. Ranked sixth and seventh in the current standings, a win at this point in the season would be huge for both teams when it comes to conference tournament seedings.

Still, expect this matchup to be an all-out slobber knocker when it comes to physical, fast-paced basketball. The entire college basketball world will be tuned into ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET to see the outcome, and it’s sure to not disappoint.