Friday, May 10, 2017

Barclays Center

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The North Carolina Tar Heels travel to Barclays Center to play the Duke Blue Devils on Friday, May 10, 2017. The opening line for this game has North Carolina as 3 point favorites.

The Tar Heels come into this game with an overall record of 26-6 and a road record of 6-5. They are 15-14 against the spread and their over/under record is 11-19. The Blue Devils have an overall record of 23-8 and a home record of 15-1. They have an over/under record of 14-16 and they are 12-18 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Justin Jackson comes into this contest averaging 18.3 points per game while playing 31.5 minutes per night so far this season for the Tar Heels. He pulls down 4.7 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 45% while his free throw percentage is currently at 76%. Joel Berry averages 15.1 points per game in 30.2 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.7 assists per contest and 3.3 rebounds per game for North Carolina. His field goal percentage is 46% for the year while his free throw percentage is 83%.

Luke Kennard averages 20.1 points per game while playing 35.7 minutes per contest this year for the Blue Devils. He grabs 5.3 rebounds per game and has 2.5 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 50% and his free throw percentage currently is at 85%. Jayson Tatum averages 16.1 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.4 rebounds per contest and 2.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 44% and his free throw percentage is 88%.

North Carolina averages 85.2 points per contest this season which ranks them 10th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 14.7 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them ranked 46th. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 85th in the country. They average 43.7 rebounds per game and 18.0 assists per game which ranks them 1st and 4th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 278th with 12.0 per game. The Tar Heels allow 70.5 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 129th in the nation. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 63rd and 130th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 30.8 rebounds a game which ranks 12th and they give up 11.7 assists per contest which puts them in 67th place in the country. They force 13.7 turnovers per game which ranks them 225th in Division 1.

Duke averages 80.4 points per game this year which ranks them 30th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 11.2 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them sitting in the 38th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 80th in the nation. They average 36.7 rebounds per game and 13.3 assists per contest which ranks them 123rd and 198th respectively. In the turnover department the Blue Devils rank 313th with 11.4 per game. The Blue Devils allow 69.2 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 100th in the country. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 30% average from behind the arc ranking them 161st and 10th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 33.1 rebounds a game which ranks 69th and they give up 11.6 assists per contest which puts them in 57th place in the nation. The Blue Devils force 12.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 97th in college basketball.

The Tar Heels are 8th in the nation in offensive rating at 117.1. They assist on 57.8% of their shots, which ranks 59th in the country. In terms of pace they average 72.4 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 56th among D-1 teams. They are 91st in effective field goal percentage with 53%. As a team they are 104th in the country in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shoot 3 pointers on 30% of their shots. North Carolina turns the ball over an average of 13.7 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 9.5% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 58.7% places them 1st in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 42.2%.

The Blue Devils are 12th in the nation in offensive rating at 115.4. They assist on 48.1% of their shots, which ranks 276th in the country. In terms of pace they average 69.7 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 184th among D-1 teams. They are 39th in effective field goal percentage with 55%. As a team they are 31st in the country in true shooting percentage with 58% and they shoot 3 pointers on 38% of their shots. Duke turns the ball over an average of 14.3 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.5% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 52.6% places them 70th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 32.3%.

North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Trends

The North Carolina Tar Heels are 15-14 against the spread

The North Carolina Tar Heels are 11-19 against the over/under

Duke Blue Devils Betting Trends

The Duke Blue Devils are 12-18 against the spread

The Duke Blue Devils are 14-16 against the over/under

North Carolina Tar Heels Injuries

02/15/17 G Kenny Williams Knee out for season

Duke Blue Devils Injuries

11/20/16 F Sean Obi Knee out indefinitely

Josh's Pick: Take Duke +3

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