ACC Championship Odds: Duke Makes Huge Leap After UNC Loss
By Cem Yolbulan
Only two days ago, North Carolina looked like they were running away with it in the ACC. They were undefeated, hosting 2-7 Georgia Tech while Duke had a tough matchup against Virginia Tech on the road.
48 hours later and only a few days ahead of the massive Duke-UNC clash on Saturday, the tables have completely turned.
ACC Championship Odds: Duke is Closing the Gap
Duke took care of the Hokies, while UNC dropped a nail-biter to Damon Stoudamire's Yellow Jackets, ending North Carolina's undefeated streak in conference play.
The Blue Devils were a long shot with +445 odds to win the ACC regular-season championship earlier this week with the Tar Heels looking all but guaranteed to win at -615.
After the early-week games, Duke is at +355 while North Carolina is at -520.
UNC still looked more dominant for most of the season but these odds may be underselling Duke's chances. If the Blue Devils manage to come out with a win against North Carolina on Saturday, they will be in an excellent spot to take first place.
However, this will be an uphill battle for Duke. North Carolina is still undefeated at home this season, winning every game by double digits. They are a deeper team.
Yet, Duke's top seven players are as good as any in the country but they can struggle when their starters get in foul trouble and their star Kyle Filipowski is foul-prone.
Duke also has been shooting the lights out in ACC play (39% from three) while the Tar Heels are missing the mark on three-pointers.
North Carolina will be favored on Saturday but don't be shocked if Duke pulls off an upset. If that happens, the ACC championship odds will likely look completely different.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.