The blend of drama between regular season races wrapping and conference tournaments hitting stride ensures we're in for quite a day in the realm of college basketball on Saturday. League races in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and the Big East will be decided (either with ties or outright champs crowned), a conference tournament champion in the OVC will earn the first auto-bid to the NCAAs this season, and meanwhile, semifinals, quarterfinals and first round action across a large chunk of the landscape will be going on all day. It's that time of year when you really need to move the TV from the guest room to the living room with the big screen. Call your cable provider immediately to set this up; dual monitors are a must. Your wife will thank you when "The Bachelor" comes on Monday night and she can watch Colton Underwood hopping fences on two separate screens. So before you plop in front of the tube for a fully loaded slate of games, check out how myself and the rest of the college hoops experts forecast the day's biggest games to unfold. [Which college basketball teams should you back today? And who should you avoid like the plague? Visit SportsLine now to see projected scores and stats from 10,000 simulations, Vegas insider picks, and optimized March Madness brackets, and find out!] Florida at No. 6 Kentucky (-12), 2 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com and streaming on fuboTV : Kentucky's lost just once at home all season: Feb. 12 against LSU. And even that game ended under fluky circumstances that could have gone either way. I suspect UK's hot streak at home will continue, but given all that is at stake for the Gators and their NCAA Tournament prospects, it will be a spirited effort by the Gators that comes up just short. Kyle Boone's pick: -- Florida +12 Gary Parrish Matt Norlander Kyle Boone Jerry Palm Chip Patterson UK -12 Florida Kentucky Florida Kentucky Kentucky S/U Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky No. 4 Duke at No. 3 North Carolina (-3), 6 p.m. on ESPN: Mike Krzyzewski said after Tuesday's win over Wake Forest that he does not expect Zion Williamson to play Saturday at North Carolina. If true, it's understandable because Williamson is, you know, still recovering from a knee sprain. But it would also be too bad because it would mean the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft will have spent a total of just 36 regular-season seconds playing against UNC. That just seems wrong. Either way, with or without Williamson, this is still Duke- North Carolina — where a win for the Tar Heels will ensure at least a share of the ACC title. And though I do believe Duke, when healthy, is the nation's best team, I can't predict Duke, shorthanded, to win at UNC — if only because I don't think I'd pick anybody to win at UNC with the way the Tar Heels have been playing. UNC is 13-1 in its past 14 games with lopsided victories over Virginia Tech, Florida State and, yes, Duke. So this game will be more competitive than the first meeting, I think. But the result will be the same. -- Gary Parrish's pick: North Carolina -3 Oklahoma at No. 18 Kansas State (-6), 6 p.m. on ESPN2: After driving home the stake in Kansas' incredible 14-year run of Big 12 regular season championships (in dominating and emphatic fashion, no less) it's likely that the Sooners have already notched its biggest and most impressive win of the year. Asking this group to repeat that feat in the Octagon of Doom against a Kansas State team fighting for a Big 12 title is a little bit much. Given the pace and low-scoring tendencies of both teams, covering this single-digit spread will probably take a mostly dominant performance by the Wildcats. I just happen to think that's just what Bruce Weber has in store. -- Chip Patterson's pick: Kansas State -6 Louisville at No. 2 Virginia (-12.5), 4 p.m. on ESPN: Louisville is comfortably in the NCAA Tournament field, but what a brutal way to end the regular season. The Cards are 3-6 in its past nine games and now have to play against Tony Bennett, a man who has one loss in his career vs. Louisville. The line here makes sense; UVA rates as the best team in college basketball per multiple advanced metrics. Virginia is 10-5 covering as a home favorite this season. It still has motivation to finish atop the league standings and chase a 1 seed. Louisville does not have the personnel to overcome that environment and that defense. -- Matt Norlander's pick: Virginia -12.5 Gary Parrish Matt Norlander Kyle Boone Jerry Palm Chip Patterson UVA -12 Louisville Virginia Louisville Virginia Louisville S/U Virginia Virginia Louisville Virginia Virginia No. 7 Michigan at No. 9 Michigan State (-4), 8 p.m. on ESPN: Michigan State has been playing quite shorthanded lately, but it seems that Kyle Ahrens is ready to return to action against the Wolverines. MSU dominated the first matchup in Ann Arbor, and I cannot imagine Michigan letting that happen again. Michigan's offense was stagnant and defense was lost. Charles Matthews may still be out for Michigan, but the Wolverines managed to win at Maryland without him. This should be a tighter affair. Jerry Palm's pick: Michigan +4<doc-sep>Senior night in Chapel Hill brought out a wealth of pregame emotions as North Carolina's Cameron Johnson, Kenny Williams and Luke Maye were honored before their final home game. The trio of seniors did not disappoint in combining to top No. 4 Duke for the second time this season in a convincing 79-70 win. Freshman guard Coby White heated up in the second half to change a close game into a 15-point Tar Heel lead, but it was the continued defensive presence of Williams that ultimately propelled No. 3 UNC (26-5) to victory. A Williams block on an RJ Barrett 3-point attempt — which would have cut UNC's lead to two with 56 seconds left — stemmed the tide of a Blue Devil comeback. Duke didn't score another point the rest of the game. MORE: ACC Tournament seeding, TV Williams' defense proved fairly effective on Barrett, despite the freshman's game-high 26 points. Barrett was called for three charges on Williams and shot just 10-of-27 with four turnovers. Duke's Marques Bolden left early in the first half after suffering an apparent knee injury when he hit the ground hard underneath the basket. Already down one big man in Zion Williamson, Duke was forced to play small ball for much of the night. UNC's Luke Maye took advantage with a game-high 16 rebounds. The victory, paired with a Virginia win over Louisville earlier in the day, give the Tar Heels the 2-seed in the ACC Tournament and sends Duke (26-5) to a third-place finish in the conference after losing two of its final four games. The two teams could meet for a third time this year on Friday in the ACC semifinals. Sporting News provided updates and highlights from the game, below. Duke vs. UNC results: Score, highlights Score: Duke 70 UNC 79 Time: FINAL 8:10 p.m.: UNC holds on for the regular season sweep of Duke. Coby White and Kenny Williams combine for 39 points. 8:05 p.m.: Down by five with :49.2, the Blue Devils start fouling. 8:02 p.m.: Duke answers with a 10-0 run. The Blue Devils trail by just 5 now with 2:12 to play. Barrett leads all scorers with 26 points. 10-0 run over the last 5:20 to keep things interesting. 👿 — Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 10, 2019 7:59 p.m.: With 3:48 to play, Duke's Javin DeLaurier misses a pair of free throws to keep UNC's lead at 11. 7:50 p.m.: Barrett's layup finally ends an 11-0 Tar Heel run. Barrett is up to 21. 7:47 p.m.: UNC is beginning to run away with things as the lead is now 12 after an 8-0 run. Coby White is on a second half tear. He has 21 points for the game. 7:44 p.m.: Barrett is called for his third charge of the night on Kenny Williams, his fourth foul overall with 7:56 left to play. UNC up by seven. 7:39 p.m.: Coby White's and-1 returns UNC's lead to six. White has 15 points and two assists. Coby coming alive! UNC 64 | DU 58 🎯 #CarolinaSZN pic.twitter.com/eamJEdEZKm — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 10, 2019 7:33 p.m.: A Johnson 3 ends a three-and-a-half minute scoreless stretch for the Tar Heels as they break the tie with Duke. 7:27 p.m.: Barrett's third three of the night ties things up at 50. Both he and Reddish have 18 a piece. 7:19 p.m.: Kenny Williams knocks down a three from a Cameron Johnson assist to give the Tar Heels a six-point lead, their largest of the night. 7:15 p.m.: Cam Johnson ties things up to start the half as official word comes down that Marques Bolden will not be returning to the game. NEWS: Left-knee injury for Marques Bolden. He won't return. Thoughts with our guy Ques. pic.twitter.com/uJwrt6wukC — Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 10, 2019 6:58 p.m.: Reddish misses a 3 as the first half expires. Duke leads UNC 40-38. 6:54 p.m.: Barrett picks up his third foul with 1:54 left and will head to the bench. He has nine points on 4-of-10 shooting. 6:52 p.m.: UNC's Kenny Williams has led the charge for the Tar Heels with 12 points as they trail Duke 36-32 with 3:01 remaining in the first half. Luke Maye has struggled with just two points. 6:44 p.m.: After a combined nine consecutive misses between the two teams, Reddish knocks down a jumper to push Dukes lead to 29-24 with 6:29 to go. 6:38 p.m.: Barrett and Cam Reddish have combined for 20 of Duke's 27 points. They had 60 of their team's 72 in the first meeting two weeks ago. 6:31 p.m.: Midway through the first half, and neither team has been able to take over. Duke's R.J. Barrett leads all scorers with nine points as the Blue Devils lead 25-24. 6:22 p.m.: Tied at 8 at the first TV timeout. Teams are a combined 1-of-9 from 3. 6:14 p.m.: Duke's Marques Bolden hits the ground hard and injures his knee. He's taken to the locker room. Blue Devils down their top two big men. Oh no. Marques Bolden took a hard fall, clutching his knee in pain. pic.twitter.com/yoty6q5Tit — Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) March 9, 2019 6:11 p.m.: Duke wins the tip. Tre Jones brings the ball up, and a quick bucket from R.J. Barrett. 6:03 p.m.: Three UNC seniors honored before tip. Cameron Johnson, Luke Maye and Kenny Williams III honored on Senior Night at the Dean Smith Center. Duke/Carolina! Next! pic.twitter.com/cUAgdv8wmB — Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) March 9, 2019 5:55 p.m.: North Carolina is ready for a piece of the ACC title.<doc-sep>If you thought the stakes were high when the then-No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels visited the then-No. 1 Duke Blue Devils on Feb. 20 -- an 88-72 UNC win -- then you're going to want to tune in for Game No. 2 on Saturday, March 9, when a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament could be on the line. Plenty has happened since that February game, which saw Duke's star freshman Zion Williamson leave early with a knee sprain. Williamson hasn't played since, and while Duke has gone 3-1 since then, it has struggled without him. Carolina, meanwhile, has won six straight games and has lost just once since Jan. 13. Where can I watch No. 4 Duke at No. 3 UNC? Tournament Challenge 2019 How's your bracket? Check out Tournament Challenge for live updates with a chance to win $10,000 in Amazon.com gift cards and a trip for two to the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational! The Blue Devils visit the Tar Heels in this ACC rivalry game on ESPN at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. With Williamson out, fellow freshmen RJ Barrett has stepped up for Duke, while Carolina has a star freshman of its own leading the charge in Coby White. Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV Don't have ESPN? Learn how to get instant access today: ESPNInstantAccess.com ESPN commentators Jay Bilas, Dan Shulman and Maria Taylor will be on the call from Chapel Hill. How do I stream the game? The game will be available to stream on mobile devices using the ESPN App.<doc-sep>
The best rivalry in college basketball returns as UNC and Duke face off for the second time this season Saturday night. You can watch the game at 6 p.m. on ESPN, or stream it on WatchESPN. What's at stake? There’s a lot on the line in the second edition of the Tobacco Road Rivalry tonight, besides the fact that, you know, it’s UNC-Duke. If Virginia loses to Louisville at home Saturday, the Tar Heels can capture the outright ACC regular season title with a win against Duke. A loss would put Virginia, Duke, and UNC in a three-way tie for the title. If Virginia wins, UNC will have to win to share. Power 36: Last push towards Selection Sunday UNC-Duke preview The biggest question heading into the game is the same one that Duke has faced in every game since the last time these two teams faced off: Will Zion play? Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has said that Williamson is doubtful to return in time for the game, which obviously leaves a massive hole in the Blue Devils roster. If Zion doesn’t play, can Duke fill that gap? UNC-DUKE RIVALRY HISTORY: Wins, highlights, memorable moments The Blue Devils are the seventh-best offensive rebounding team in the country. But in the five games without Zion, Duke has collected 27 percent fewer offensive boards per game (9.4 compare to 12.9). They’ve also turned the ball over 23 percent more (15.2 compared to 12.4) and forced 37 percent fewer turnovers (9.8 compared to 15.4). Add that all up, and there’s 12 extra possessions per game that the Blue Devils are down in Zion’s absence — a huge difference-maker, even not factoring Zion’s scoring ability in. Let’s take a look at some more stats before continuing: UNC Duke Record 25-5 26-4 AP Rank 3 4 Points per game 86.8 84.6 Opponent points per game 73.1 67 Strength of schedule 12 9 Field goal percentage 46.8 48 3-point percentage 37.3 30.9 Rebounds per game 43.8 41.9 Assists per game 19.4 16.1 Steals per game 7.4 9.6 Turnovers per game 13.5 13 You can see that one of the biggest areas UNC holds an advantage in is 3-point shooting. UNC is the 46th-best 3-point shooting team in the country, hitting 8.9 a game at 37.3 percent. They’ve had some unreal outings this year, hitting 16 against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest and 13 against Gonzaga, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Clemson. And then there’s been the games like Louisville (where they went 3-for-22), and the first matchup with Duke. North Carolina had its worst performance of the season from 3-point range in at game, going a miserable 2-for-20 (10 percent). Cameron Johnson — who is averaging 2.7 3-pointers per game while shooting 48 percent this year — was 0-for-4. MORE BASKETBALL: These are 5 of the most interesting storylines heading into the final weekend of the regular season Usually a 2-for-20 shooting performance does not lead to a 16-point win. But without Zion and with Marques Bolden playing sub-par, the Tar Heels scored 65 points in the paint at Cameron. That brings us to our first key matchup: Luke Maye vs. RJ Barrett. Get to know the Maple Mamba, Duke's RJ Barrett This isn’t a completely fair comparison, as neither will likely be guarding each other, but they both carry a similar burden Saturday night. If Zion doesn’t play, the onus will shift to Barrett, who has been phenomenal this year. The freshman has averaged 26.2 points per game in Williamson’s absence, including tying his career high of 33 against North Carolina in round one. He’s also never scored fewer than 13 points on the year. It’s almost a guarantee at this point that Barrett will score 20 against the Tar Heels, but keep him Maye has also been critical to Carolina’s success. The senior was 13-for-20 inside the arc against Duke in February, scoring 30 points and picking up 15 rebounds. He’s been on a tear lately, averaging 16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds over the past five games. If UNC is going to get a post-game going, it will start with Maye. Andy Katz breaks down his latest March Madness bracket The other major matchup of the night will be between the two freshman point guards: Tre Jones and Coby White. Against Boston College, Coby White officially passed Michael Jordan in points scored during their freshman seasons.