Las Vegas Free Pick on Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski questioned his team's effort following its stunning 78-74 home loss to Miami on Sunday. With so much at stake, the ninth-ranked Blue Devils shouldn't have any trouble getting motivated for their matchup against No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels are tied with Florida State for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a game ahead of Duke. A Blue Devils loss would put them two back with seven conference games left.
Duke has won four of the last five in the series, and eight of the past 13 at Chapel Hill.
- Duke Blue Devils @ North Carolina Tar Heels
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Where: Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3.com
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Tar Heels listed as 6-point favorites versus the Blue Devils.
Duke Blue Devils (19-4): Duke gave up 18 offensive rebounds against Miami, including eight by Reggie Johnson, who torched the Blue Devils with a 27-point, 12-rebound effort. Tyler Zeller, the Tar Heels' senior forward, might be able to do the same. Zeller has scored 14 or more in eight straight games and has five double-doubles during that stretch. If Duke allows him to control the glass and require extra defenders, it could open things up on the outside for Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston. The trio has made a combined 102 3-pointers. Mason Plumlee paces Duke with 9.7 rebounds per game.
North Carolina Tar Heels (20-3): A rivalry known for its fantastic finishes hasn't been all that competitive in the last two years. Though North Carolina did salvage an 81-67 home win last year, its four losses have come by six, 10, 17 and 32 points. In the most recent meeting, a 75-58 Duke victory in the ACC championship game, the Blue Devils took a 42-28 halftime lead and smothered the Tar Heels defensively, holding them to 33.9 percent shooting. The Tar Heels might be tough to slow down this time around. During their five-game win streak, they've scored 74 or more four times and have won every game by nine or more.
1. Duke hasn’t lost consecutive games since the 2008-09 season. The Blue Devils are 14-0 off a loss during that stretch, including 3-0 this season.
2. The last four meetings have seen halftime leads of 27, 14 (twice) and 12. North Carolina was the only team to lose a game after leading. The Tar Heels fell 79-73 on Feb. 9, 2010, after leading by 14 at the break.
3. Duke is 21-10 against the Tar Heels since 1998-99.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Tar Heels 82, Blue Devils 78.
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dean e. smith student activities center - duke blue devils - harrison barnes - mason plumlee - mike krzyzewski - north carolina tar heels - p.j. hairston - reggie bullock - reggie johnson - tyler zeller
