Latest ACC odds: North Carolina takes control with crucial win, Duke loss

Saturday might have been the day that ultimately decided which ACC team will capture the regular season conference crown. Not only did No. 10 North Carolina secure a key resume-building 54-44 win on the road at Virginia, but No. 8 Duke fell on the road in an upset loss at Wake Forest.

With the latest results, the Tar Heels surged from -280 to win the ACC outright to -700, while Duke fell from +200 to +350. Wake Forest kept its faint hopes alive, but still dropped from +25000 to +30000 in recent days, while Virginia now checks in at +35000.

While still mathematically in-play, the Cavaliers essentially needed to beat North Carolina to keep any conference championship hopes alive.

Here’s how the current ACC odds have moved in recent days:

Duke maintains outside chance to capture title

Not only did Duke fall to Wake Forest Saturday, but the Blue Devils suffered an additional blow when star 7-footer Kyle Filipowski was injured as fans stormed the court. Filipowski appeared to bang knees with a fan, leaving uncertain his status for upcoming games against Louisville and Virginia this week.

Currently, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils each have four conference games remaining, including a March 9 showdown. North Carolina holds a 13-3 conference record to Duke’s 12-4 mark. Both Duke and UNC figure to be favored in each of their next three games before that rematch.

The rest of the field will need a miracle

Never say never, but teams like Virginia, Wake Forest and North Carolina State will need significant help to capture the regular season conference title . The Cavaliers (11-6) trail UNC by two games with only three games remaining and no head-to-head matchups left.

Wake Forest trails by three games and has a tough game at Virginia Tech left, while North Carolina State trails by four games and would need a number of unlikely scenarios to unfold to have a shot.

North Carolina sports betting readies for March Madness

With North Carolina sports betting scheduled to go live on March 11, it’s a good time to be an in-state college basketball fan. Both Duke and North Carolina will be considered favorites to cut down the nets in April, while North Carolina State (17-10) could still make the tournament with a hot regular season finish and ACC Tournament run.

If things remain on track, online wagering should launch the day prior the ACC Tournament. If it does, bettors will be able to utilize North Carolina sports betting promos like the ESPN BET North Carolina promo code to score hundreds of dollars in bonuses.