Duke vs North Carolina prediction, odds, pick for Women's College Basketball

Yesterday at 07:41 AM

It’s time to continue our Women’s College Basketball odds series with a Duke-North Carolina prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Duke-North Carolina.

The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels are both ranked in the top 20. This matchup is worthy of the fierce and storied rivalry between the two programs, which have both made a name for themselves in women’s basketball. Duke has played in a national championship game, and North Carolina won the 1994 national title in women’s college basketball. These programs are trying to recapture past glories and establish the standard both schools set when they were at the top of the sport.

This game means everything to both sides because of how passionate and cherished this rivalry always is, but it also means a lot within the context of the ACC championship chase. The ACC in women’s basketball is deep and contentious right now, with five teams at 3-0 in the conference in the early stages of league play. Duke is one of those five teams. North Carolina is 1-2. The Tar Heels have lost to nationally-ranked ACC opponents Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, so it’s not as though they have lost to lower-end teams in the ACC. Neverthless, those two defeats have pushed UNC two games behind the leaders in the ACC standings, so the Heels have to find a way to win this game if they want to stay in contention for the conference championship.

Both teams enter the game with just three losses this season. They are both solidly in the NCAA Tournament field and will remain in the field as long as they don’t go on a prolonged losing streak. With North Carolina playing at home, and coming off a home-court loss to Notre Dame several days ago, the Tar Heels figure to be desperate in this game. The key to the outcome could well be Duke’s ability to weather the storm in the first half and take the first punch thrown by UNC.

We saw on Wednesday night in women’s college basketball how important it is for a road team to stay the course against a talented and motivated opponent playing in front of an energized home crowd. Ohio State and USC both got blitzed on the road in the first half but rallied in the second half to score huge wins. Ohio State was down 13 at the half and won at Michigan with a huge second-half surge. USC was down seven midway through the fourth quarter versus Maryland but went on a late 18-4 run to finish off the game and beat the Terrapins by five. Duke might need to absorb some body blows and make sure it can stand tall in the second half if UNC gets out of the blocks early.

Here are the Duke-North Carolina Women’s College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

Women’s College Basketball Odds: Duke-North Carolina Odds

Lines and odds have not yet been posted. Will update when available.

Duke:

Moneyline:

North Carolina:

Moneyline:

Over:

Under:

How to Watch Duke vs North Carolina

Time: 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

TV: ACC Network

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Why Duke Will Cover The Spread/Win

North Carolina is showing signs of slippage. Duke is playing better basketball right now and can win this game on the road.

Why North Carolina Will Cover The Spread/Win

North Carolina’s two ACC losses have come against top-15 opponents. Duke’s 3-0 ACC record is the result of playing teams at the bottom of the league standings. North Carolina’s recent game against Notre Dame, despite being a loss, should leave UNC more prepared than Duke to play this game. UNC is at home and will be the more motivated team.

Final Duke-North Carolina Prediction & Pick

Odds have not been posted as of early Thursday morning. We can’t make a spread pick, but we are ready to go with UNC on the moneyline.

Final Duke-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: North Carolina moneyline

The post Duke vs North Carolina prediction, odds, pick for Women’s College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.