The Duke Blue Devils will attempt to provide Mike Krzyzewski with one more game during his storied coaching career when they take on the rival North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday in the Final Four of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Krzyzewski, who is retiring after the season, had his 42nd campaign at the school extended and passed John Wooden for most Final Four appearances by a coach (13) when Duke 32-6 defeated Arkansas 78-69 in the Elite Eight. North Carolina (28-9) has reached the Final Four for the 21st time, adding to its record by rolling past St. Peter's 69-49 last Sunday.
Tip-off is set for 8:49 p.m. ET at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The Blue Devils are four-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. North Carolina odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 153. Before making any North Carolina vs. Duke picks or 2022 NCAA Tournament predictions, be sure to check out what SportsLine college basketball expert Matt Severance has to say.
A well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005, Severance is on a stunning run: He is a blistering 102-71-4 on his last 177 college basketball picks against the spread, returning $2,379 to $100 bettors during that span. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Severance has set his sights on Duke vs. UNC and just locked in his picks and college basketball predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for UNC vs. Duke:
- North Carolina vs. Duke spread: Blue Devils -4
- North Carolina vs. Duke over-under: 153 points
- North Carolina vs. Duke money line: Blue Devils -200, Tar Heels +170
- DUKE: The Blue Devils are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 NCAA Tournament games
- UNC: The Tar Heels are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 contests against teams with winning records
Why Duke can cover
While the Tar Heels possess the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional in Armando Bacot, the Blue Devils have a similar claim as fellow forward Paolo Banchero received the honor for his performance during the West Regional. The freshman averaged 18.5 points, 3.8 assists and seven rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point range over four games. Banchero leads Duke with an average of 17.1 points this season and has reached double figures in 10 consecutive contests.
Mark Williams registered his 10th double-double of the campaign in the victory over the Razorbacks, scoring 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting and pulling down a dozen rebounds. The sophomore center is the only player in the nation shooting 70 percent or better from both the field and free-throw line this season as he is at 71.9 and 74.7 percent, respectively. The Blue Devils have had plenty of players make solid offensive contributions in the Tournament, as five scored in double digits in each of their first three games while four hit double figures and two others notched nine points in the win against Arkansas.
Why North Carolina can cover
The Tar Heels emerged from the East Region as the No. 8 seed, knocking off No. 1 Baylor and No. 4 UCLA along the way. They have recorded the highest scoring margin (16.5 points) in the Tournament, the second-largest rebound margin (plus-12.2) and the third-most assists (19.2) and 3-pointers (10) per game. Bacot was named Most Outstanding Player in the East Regional after averaging 16.5 points and 15.8 rebounds over four games.
Bacot is one of two players (Arkansas' Jaylin Williams) that has registered four double-doubles during this year's March Madness, moving him past Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe for most in the nation with 29. The junior forward is one away from setting the ACC single-season record he currently shares with Tim Duncan, who set the mark in 1996-97 with Wake Forest. Senior forward Brady Manek leads all players in the "Big Dance" with 86 points and 16 3-pointers, while sophomore guard RJ Davis is the Tournament leader with 24 assists.
How to make Duke vs. North Carolina picks
For North Carolina vs. Duke, Severance is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and which side of the Duke vs. North Carolina spread to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins North Carolina vs. Duke? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Duke vs. North Carolina spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who has crushed his college basketball picks, and find out.
