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North Carolina vs Duke Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines
By Pete Fiutak,
1 days ago
Well this just got a lot more interesting.
North Carolina was supposed to be 4-0 after playing James Madison, but instead, the defense played like it had eight guys on the field in a 70-50 loss that could’ve been even worse. It all starts now, though, with the ACC opener down the road in Durham.
Duke hasn’t pulled off anything great, but it beat Northwestern in Evanston in a thriller on the way to a 4-0 start to the Manny Diaz era. Win, and it’ll be the first 5-0 start since 1994.
Sep 21, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Jacolby Criswell (12) passes the ball as offensive lineman Howard Sampson (79) blocks in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
There was a positive side to all of THAT. The offense was amazing.
The defense might not have done anything in the crazy loss to James Madison, but the offense cranked up a season-high 616 yards and for the third straight game moved the ball however it wanted to.
Duke just got its offense going against Middle Tennessee, but this isn’t a high-powered attack build to keep up in firefights. It rolled last week because of four takeaways.
As long as North Carolina doesn’t turn it over five times like it did against JMU, it should be okay, but …
Why Duke Will Win
The Tar Heel defense needs a whole lot of work.
The offense didn’t make things easy with all of the mistakes, but the D didn’t do its part allowing 611 yards of Duke - the James Madison version - offense, has been lousy against teams trying to throw the ball midrange, and there’s a chance the Blue Devils really did find their footing.
Maalik Murphy has been wonderful. The Texas quarterback transfer has pitched an interception in every game, but there haven’t been two, and he’s been ultra-consistent over the four games.
Just keep hitting 65% of passes for 220ish yards and all will be okay.
North Carolina vs Duke: Who Will Win
It’s the first time this season Duke has faced an offense, and it’ll be a problem.
The North Carolina defense won’t suddenly be effective a week after collapsing, but it’ll be slightly better. Meanwhile, the offensive balance and pop will make Duke have to press. It’ll keep up for a while, but not for a full four quarters.
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