The Duke Blue Devils will renew their long-standing rivalry with the North Carolina Tar Heels in a Thursday night college baseball matchup at Boshamer Stadium. With that said, check out our college baseball odds series which has our Duke-North Carolina prediction and pick.
Duke has gone 14-7 in the first third of the season, including a 3-3 record in ACC play. The Blue Devils took two out of three from Clemson last weekend to win their first conference series of the season. Head coach Chris Pollard has built a national powerhouse in Durham.
North Carolina is red-hot, riding their five-game winning streak to a 16-5 record. In ACC play, North Carolina has gone 2-2, losing their only full series. At home, the Tar Heels have been a dominant 14-4. UNC was eliminated in a Super Regional last season.
Here are the Duke-North Carolina NCAAB Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
NCAAB Odds: Duke-North Carolina Odds
Duke Blue Devils: +1.5 (-130)
North Carolina Tar Heels: -1.5 (+100)
Over: 12 (-115)
Under: 12 (-115)
How To Watch Duke vs. North Carolina
TV: ACC Network
Stream: ESPN Plus
Time: 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT
*Watch NCAAB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Duke Could Cover The Spread
Alex Mooney, who was a heralded recruit in the Class of 2021, leads the team with a .386 batting average and eight doubles, also stealing nine bases in 10 attempts. Mooney has started all 75 of Duke's games in 2022-23. Andrew Fischer, Jay Beshears, and Luke Storm are all tied for the team lead with six home runs, with Beshears driving in 30 runs. MJ Metz, in his first season at the Division I level, has walked more than he has struck out, leading the team with an absurd .523 on-base percentage. Metz has also hit .305 with two home runs. Senior Chad Knight has flashed some power in limited time, blasting two home runs in just five games. The Blue Devils have slashed .298/.426/.526 with 38 home runs as a team.
Jason White will take the ball for Duke in this one, making his fourth start of the season. White has pitched to a 3.36 ERA in 16 innings, striking out 17 batters. The senior's longest outing of the season has been 3.2 innings, so expect the bullpen to play a large role. Hulking sophomore Fran Oschell III has been dominant out of the bullpen, firing 12.0 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out 21 batters. Closer James Tallon has registered three saves, pitching to a 0.96 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Duke owns a 3.14 ERA with 253 strikeouts in 189.0 innings.
Why North Carolina Could Cover The Spread
Mac Horvath leads the team with 11 home runs, slugging a ridiculous .824. Of Horvath’s 27 hits, 20 have gone for extra bases. Catcher Tomas Frick has belted 13 doubles, leading the team with an impressive .386 batting average. Vance Honeycutt, the much-hyped sophomore, has belted eight home runs, and leads the team with 13 stolen bases, also providing elite defense. Honeycutt and Horvath both have driven in 25 runs, which leads the team. Six qualified Tar Heels own batting averages north of .300. North Carolina has slashed .308/.431/.576 with 48 home runs as a team.
Max Carlson will take the mound for the Tar Heels, looking to erase a bad beginning to the season. Carlson has pitched to a 6.26 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 23 innings. Home runs have been the downfall, as Carlson has allowed six in the early going. As a sophomore last season, Carlson led the team in ERA while striking out over a batter per inning. Matt Poston has not allowed a run in 14.2 innings, striking out 13 batters. North Carolina has pitched to a 3.63 ERA with 205 strikeouts in 186.0 innings.
Final Duke-North Carolina Prediction & Pick
Expect a ton of runs in this one, and UNC will stay hot and extend their winning streak to six.
Final Duke-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: UNC -1.5 (+100)
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