College Basketball Betting Preview: Duke at North Carolina
Posted: Feb 06, 2008
By
SBGGlobal
SBG Global Opening Line: North Carolina - 4 , Total TBA
College basketball’s best rivalry resumes on Wednesday as #3 North Carolina hosts #2 Duke. Each team has only one loss and the game is the biggest so far of the college basketball season. North Carolina was expected to be excellent but Duke’s play has been a surprise. A big key to Wednesday’s game could be the healthy of North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson. He wasn’t able to do much in Tuesday’s practice and may not play on Wednesday night. SBG Global reports that early NCAA Basketball betting has the public taking North Carolina at Home.
If Lawson can’t play it would be a major loss for North Carolina because they don’t have their normal depth at guard. Reserve Bobby Fraso is already out for the year. Quentin Thomas and Marcus Ginyard will probably see playing time in place of Lawson. "For me personally, it's being ready for anything," said Thomas, "And whenever my time is to go out there for the game, I just have to be prepared. ... Whether it's 36 minutes or 2 minutes, I just need to do what it takes."
SBG Global Current Line: North Carolina - 4 , Total 163
Wednesday’s game could be a track meet. The Tar Heels rank second nationally in scoring at 91 points per game, while Duke ranks third at 85.7.
The edge for North Carolina is upfront with All-American Tyler Hansbrough and sophomores Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson. Duke will try and counter with their quickness and pressure.
The game also marks the return of ESPN announcer Dick Vitale who has missed the start of the season due to throat surgery.
Here are the NCAA Basketball betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Blue Devils are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Blue Devils are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. the ACC. The Blue Devils are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 Wednesday games. The underdog is 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings between the two teams. The Blue Devils are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels are 25-7 ATS in their last 32 home games. The Tar Heels are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games.
The Over is 5-0 in the Blue Devils last 5 overall. The Over is 29-11 in the Blue Devils last 40 vs. the ACC. The Over is 6-2 in the Tar Heels last 8 vs. the ACC. The Over is 10-4 in the Tar Heels last 14 overall. The Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in North Carolina.
Pick: NC -4 5 units & NC Over 163 2units ... For more College Basketball discussion please visit the Basketball Betting forum and for past and upcoming College Basketball games visit our Basketball Picks Page.
