Duke Makes Major Leap in ACC Odds After UNC's Latest Loss

We're only about two weeks removed from the UNC Tar Heels looking like they were nearing "lock" status to take the top spot in the ACC basketball regular season.

But February has shown us why you don't use that "l word" in college basketball, with UNC dropping three of its last four, including a crucial loss to Duke.

This run has the Blue Devils surging in the odds to finish as the ACC regular season champion.

Before the Tar Heels' latest loss to Syracuse, UNC was a -485 favorite on Monday, while Duke sat way behind at +565 (and Virginia came in at +850). That edge was narrowed significantly, with UNC now -295 favorites and Duke nipping at their heels as +240 underdogs.

UNC still holds the top spot in the standings though, with an 11-3 conference record (19-6 overall) to Duke's 10-3 conference (19-5 overall) record. Virginia, while they have fallen sharply in the odds, are also 10-4 conference (19-6 overall).

North Carolina gets a gimme against Virginia Tech on Saturday then gets a much-needed week off to recover before taking on the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Duke gets a chance to close the gap with upcoming games against Florida State (Feb. 17), Miami (Feb. 21) and Wake Forest (Feb. 24) during that stretch.

Things can change quickly, as I mentioned, but the March 9 rematch between UNC and Duke could very well be the decisive game in the ACC regular season.

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