North Carolina and Duke will renew its rivalry on Saturday as the college basketball regular season winds down.
We all remember what happened last time, as the ACC-leading Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1) dominated the Tar Heels (20-11, 13-6), 87-70, on February 1st in Durham. North Carolina struggled to contain Duke‘s young, talented lineup filled with stars from 1-5, as four Blue Devils scored in double-figures.
As both teams prepare to play their regular season finale, UNC is in a much different spot. The Tar Heels, currently on a season-high 6-game winning streak, are fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Hubert Davis is reaping the benefits from playing a traditional 1-5 lineup, headlined by productive play from post starters Jae’Lyn Withers and Ven-Allen Lubin.
Duke still looks like a National Championship contender, as much as it pains me to say that, but there’s no telling how rivalry games will go. The Blue Devils last lost on February 8 in Clemson (25-5, 17-2), which could win the ACC depending on how Saturday’s results go.
North Carolina will have the home crowd behind it tonight, like how Duke had the Cameron Crazies back in February. I expect UNC to play with a fire like we witnessed Tuesday night at Virginia Tech, who knows, maybe the good guys escape with a victory. The Tar Heels have a much clearer path to the Big Dance if they beat the Blue Devils.
If you’re lucky enough to get a ticket for tonight’s matchup, have a blast and please cheer loud for the Tar Heels. If you’re watching on TV, your favorite streaming device or placing bets on Round Two of the Tobacco Road Rivalry, keep reading below.
What channel is North Carolina vs. Duke on tonight? Time, TV schedule
TV Channel: ESPN
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch UNC vs. Duke on live stream
Watch UNC vs. Duke live on Fubo (free trial)
UNC vs. Duke prediction, picks, odds
UNC-Duke always brings the heat, even in down years like 2024-2025 for the Tar Heels. February’s game wasn’t close, but that was also in a rowdy Cameron Indoor Stadium.
North Carolina is playing is best basketball of the season right now. I don’t care about the quality of opponents UNC beat, what matters is how dominant UNC looked in each.
The Tar Heels put up a good fight against the Blue Devils and somehow, when the final buzzer sounds, escape with a massive upset in which students storm the court.
Score prediction: UNC 86, Duke 84
All College Basketball Odds via BetMGM
SPREAD: Duke -10.5
MONEYLINE: UNC +400, Duke -550
O/U TOTAL: 157.5
Full UNC basketball schedule
Oct. 12: Blue-White Scrimmage (Blue 62, White 53)
Oct. 15: Exhibition @ Memphis (W, 84-76)
Oct. 27: Exhibition vs. Johnson C. Smith (W, 127-63)
Nov. 4: vs. Elon (W, 90-76) (1-0, 0-0)Nov. 8: at Kansas (L, 92-89) (1-1, 0-0)
Nov. 15: vs. American University (W, 108-55) (2-1, 0-0)
Nov. 22: at Hawaii (W, 87-69) (3-1, 0-0)
Nov. 25: vs. Dayton, Maui Invitational (W, 92-90) (4-1, 0-0)
Nov. 26: vs. Auburn, Maui Invitational (L, 85-72) (4-2, 0-0)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State, Maui Invitational (L, 94-90 OT) (4-3, 0-0)
Dec. 4: vs. Alabama, SEC/ACC Challenge (L, 94-79) (4-4, 0-0)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 68-65) (5-4, 1-0 ACC)
Dec. 14: vs. La Salle (W, 93-67) (6-4, 1-0)
Dec. 17: vs. Florida, Jumpman Invitational (L, 90-84) (6-5, 1-0)
Dec. 21: vs. UCLA, CBS Sports Classic (W, 76-74) (7-5, 1-0)
Dec. 29: vs. Campbell (W, 97-81) (8-5, 1-0)
Jan. 1: at Louisville (L, 83-70) (8-6, 1-1)
Jan. 4: at Notre Dame (W, 74-73) (9-6, 2-1)
Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 82-67) (10-6, 3-1)
Jan. 11: at NC State (W, 63-61) (11-6, 4-1)
Jan. 15: vs. California (W, 79-53) (12-6, 5-1)
Jan. 18: vs. Stanford (L, 72-71) (12-7, 5-2)
Jan. 21: at Wake Forest (L, 67-66) (12-8, 5-3)
Jan. 25: vs. Boston College (W, 102-96) (13-8, 6-3)
Jan. 28: at Pitt (L, 73-65) (13-9, 6-4)
Feb. 1: at Duke (L, 87-70) (13-10, 6-5)
Feb. 8: vs. Pitt (W, 67-66) (14-10, 7-5)
Feb. 10: at Clemson (L, 85-65) (14-11, 7-6)
Feb. 15: at Syracuse (W, 88-82) (15-11, 8-6)
Feb. 19: vs. NC State (W, 97-73) (16-11, 9-6)
Feb. 22: vs. Virginia (W, 81-66) (17-11, 10-6)
Feb. 24: at Florida State (W, 96-85) (18-11, 11-6)
March 1: vs. Miami (FL) (W, 92-73) (19-11, 12-6)
March 4: at Virginia Tech (W, 91-59) (20-11, 13-6)
March 8: vs. Duke
March 11-15: ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC)
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC-Duke basketball channel, time, TV schedule, streaming information
