SportsLine's model simulated No. 4 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 14 UNC Tar Heels on Saturday and revealed its college basketball picks for the 2026 Tobacco Road Rivalry matchup

CHAPEL HILL — Duke’s Dame Sarr had 10 first-half points and the fourth-ranked Blue Devils closed the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 41-29 lead into halftime of its rivalry game at No. 14 North Carolina.

For college basketball fans, this is going to be one of the most entertaining games of the season. When looking at keys to tonight’s game, we of course have to start with the Wilson vs. Boozer matchup.

The Duke-Carolina basketball game is one of the classic (and heated) rivalry games in college basketball. See photos from the action from News & Observer photojournalists Robert Willett and Ethan Hyman. as Duke’s Cameron Boozer goes up against UNC’s ...

Cameron Boozer leads Duke with 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. For North Carolina, Caleb Wilson averages a team-high 20.0 points and 9.8 rebounds, while Kyan Evans leads the team with 3.

With less than six weeks until Selection Sunday and conference races heating up across the college basketball landscape, Saturday is set to provide a platform for spectacular theater as the sport kicks into high gear near the homestretch of the regular season.

Caleb Wilson offered perspective ahead of a high-profile showdown as North Carolina basketball and the Tar Heels prepare for Duke on Saturday.