posted March 7, 2008 at 23:22 in NCAA B Betting Trends

BetUS NCAA basketball betting matchup:

In what is probably the biggest game of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the North Carolina Tar Heels (28-2 SU, 19-8 ATS) will travel the short distance to Durham, NC to face the Duke Blue Devils (26-3 SU, 15-11-2 ATS) in an ACC showdown that is slated to get underway at 9 PM ET on Saturday.

It's big revenge for North Carolina, which suffered a home defeat to the Blue Devils earlier in the season.

Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* NC has won its last seven games SU

* NC has played its last four games OVER the total

* NC has played 11 of its last 15 games OVER the total

* NC is 12-0 SU away from home this season

* DUKE has won its last four games SU

* DUKE is 2-5-1 ATS in its last eight games

* DUKE has played 10 of its last 14 games OVER the total

* DUKE is 4-2-2 ATS in its last eight home games

* NC has won three of the last four meetings SU

* NC has covered four of the last five meetings

* Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total

* NC has had the shooting edge in three of the last four meetings

* NC has had the rebounding edge in each of the last nine meetings

* DUKE has made more three-pointers in each of the last seven meetings

Okay, well this is the big revenge game for North Carolina, which lost by double digits (89-78) in the first meeting at home on February 6. And there is a back story here too, as Roy Williams took Duke coach Mike Kryzyewski to task for comments that were related to revealing injury information to the press.

Duke has a quickness edge, to be sure, and would rather play a game where it can get out on the open floor. But the main reason for that involves the other side of the coin, which is that because it is a team without a lot of useful size, Duke will have a hard time dealing with North Carolina's very talented inside scorer, Tyler Hansbrough (23.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg), who will almost certainly be an All-American. If the Heels are able to get into the half-court offense, they are going to get a lot of easy baskets.

And point guard Ty Lawson, another All-America candidate, is back for them. He missed the first Duke game with an ankle injury, a big factor since backups were missing as well. And Lawson is very important in terms of Carolina's ability to play at a more deliberate pace or get out on the fast break.

The matchups will favor North Carolina here, and we will go with the Heels as the dog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PREDICTION: NORTH CAROLINA BY 5

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)