College Basketball Picks Today: Duke and UNC Collide In Regular Season Finale

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Published: Mar. 8, 2025, 10:54 AM ET

5 min read

We are now less than two weeks away from the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament!

Saturday’s slate includes many mid-major conference tournament games and a clash between archrivals Duke and North Carolina.

Keep reading below for our Duke vs. UNC and Ohio State vs. Indiana college basketball picks!

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No. 2 Duke @ UNC Odds

Find the latest odds for the Duke vs UNC NCAAM matchup in the table below. Click the odds and bet on your favorites at some of the best sportsbooks available today!

PICK: UNC +10.5 (-105) at FanDuel

Both teams have a whole lot on the line in this game.

The Heels can log their best win of the season and catapult themselves into the NCAA Tournament with a win while also potentially playing spoiler to Duke’s ACC regular-season title hopes.

On the other hand, the Blue Devils can lock up the regular-season championship with a win but leave themselves exposed to Clemson, which holds the season tiebreaker (1-0), or Louisville if they drop the ball.

Duke is a great team but hasn’t faced a significant challenge in a while. Winning at Dean Smith Center by 11 or more points qualifies.

The Heels have enough offense (20th in adjO) to keep this game close and have a potential at-large bid to play for.

Duke Prediction

The benefit of a demanding non-conference schedule, especially when several of a team’s key players are underclassmen, is gaining valuable experience before conference play begins.

Duke narrowly lost to Kansas and Kentucky early in the season in matchups that the Blue Devils easily could have won; however, they have rattled off 23 wins in the following 24 games.

Early in the season, the defensive end of the floor made the Blue Devils hard to beat, but Duke has since ascended to second in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric.

From an advanced analytics standpoint, this Blue Devils team is the best in the country, despite Auburn’s historic offensive season.

Despite that, Duke still needs to win this game to secure the ACC regular-season title.

UNC Prediction

Since fighting and clawing to the National Championship game in the 2021-22 season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have consistently underwhelmed relative to expectations.

The following season, UNC became the first team in college basketball history to miss the NCAA Tournament despite being the preseason’s top-ranked team in the AP Poll.

This year has been another relative disappointment, with the Tar Heels currently projected to be one of the “First Four Out” in Joe Lunardi’s “Bracketology”. They were the ninth-ranked team in the preseason.

However, the Heels have won six consecutive games since their 20-point road loss to now-No. 11 Clemson.

They have plenty of firepower (20th in adjO) but will need to lock up on the other end of the floor to secure a massive upset over their rival.

Ohio State @ Indiana Odds

Find the latest odds for the Ohio State vs Indiana NCAAM matchup in the table below. Click the odds and bet on your favorites at some of the best sportsbooks available today!

PICK: Indiana -1.5 (-120) at FanDuel

Ohio State and Indiana are in very similar situations: they are (likely) holding on to an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament by a thread.

The Hoosiers knocked off Ohio State on the road earlier this season, but the Bucks were missing second-leading scorer Devin Royal.

However, Ohio State will not have an answer for Oumar Ballo in the paint; he had a 21-point, 15-rebound outing the first time.

The Hoosiers’ perimeter defense and 3-point shooting have also improved over the past few weeks, giving them enough firepower to keep up with Ohio State’s efficient offense.

Ohio State Prediction

It has been a roller-coaster season for the Ohio State Buckeyes, who lost four of five games before winning their last two, including a road win over USC and a double-overtime home win against Nebraska.

However, a win on the road against Indiana can all but guarantee a ticket to the “Big Dance”.

According to KenPom, the Buckeyes have a top-25 offense (25th in adjusted offensive efficiency) behind Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Micah Parrish, and Devin Royal, who each average at least 13 points per game.

Frontcourt consistency on both ends of the floor has been this team’s biggest issue, which could be problematic against a physical and massive Hoosiers frontcourt.

Indiana Prediction

It has already been announced that Hoosiers legend and current head coach Mike Woodson will not return to coach the team next season.

In its past six games, Indiana has played a more motivated and consistent brand of basketball, aided by Woodson finally changing the rotations and starting lineup to favor quickness and versatility.

In fact, the Hoosiers have won four of those six games, including against Purdue (home) and Michigan State (road).

It’s Senior Day, and there will be a sense of urgency for the Hoosiers, who could keep themselves on the right side of the bubble with a win here.

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Andrew Norton

Sports Betting Analyst

Expertise:

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Andrew has always been an avid sports fan and followed his hoop dreams all the way to college. He’s well-versed in everything betting with multiple years of experience and is qualitatively and quantitatively knowledgeable in sports statistics and analytics.

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