One of the best rivalries in sports is setting up for an eventful end-of-season clash. 

With just five games left in the regular season, North Carolina and Duke men’s basketball teams are the heavy betting favorites to win the ACC regular season title. The two schools meet for the second time this season on March 9, the regular season finale for both squads. The game could very well determine the ACC’s regular season champion and the No. 1 seed for the ACC Tournament. 

The two teams have separated themselves from the rest of the league in the standings, and the sports betting odds reflect that. While both teams have a 12-3 league record, North Carolina is a -200 favorite to win the ACC regular season crown on FanDuel. The Tar Heels won the first meeting with Duke, which is +140 to win the ACC regular season title. The next closest team is Virginia, which holds +3800 odds to win the ACC.

The March 9 meeting between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils will be held in Durham, and basketball analytics site KenPom projects Duke will be a 3-point home favorite. Prior to that clash, each team faces a few tough games. Those start Saturday, with Duke visiting Wake Forest and UNC hitting the road to battle Virginia. 

Legal online sports betting in North Carolina will launch on March 11, just two days after the Duke-UNC game. While North Carolina bettors won’t be able to legally wager on that game on betting apps, they will be able to wager on the ACC Tournament. 

The ACC Tournament begins on March 12, and UNC and Duke could meet for a third time in the championship of that event. While this year’s ACC Tournament won’t occur in North Carolina (it’ll be in Washington, D.C.), the event is still expected to generate significant wagering interest in the Tar Heel State. 

Eight operators are expected to go live in North Carolina on March 11, and customers can begin signing up for the eight North Carolina betting apps on March 1. The octet of operators planning to launch on March 11 are:

Sports betting is coming to NC! Use our bet365 North Carolina Bonus Code to get extras when you wager!