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

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•02/04/23•

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.

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.