Well, the ESPN College GameDay crew seems to have faith in the Tar Heels ahead of Saturday night's clash with the Blue Devils.
Read: Caleb Wilson is taking this matchup against rival Duke personally
At the end of the two-hour live broadcast from the Dean Smith Center, the crew made their annual picks for the game the show was hosting. Jay Bilas, who is on the broadcast for tonight's game, was unable to make a prediction for this one.
The vote was split, but is one that favored the Tar Heels.
ESPN College GameDay picks for Duke vs. UNC
The GameDay crew makes their picks ahead of Duke-UNC 👀 pic.twitter.com/KDnQUsoftb
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) February 7, 2026
Seth Greenberg got the ball rolling by picking the Tar Heels, while Andraya Carter also sided with the home team, citing the motivating factors for both Caleb Wilson and Seth Trimble. Jay Williams, after making the entire Duke fanbase despise him with his earlier antics on the show, had to earn some respect back, as he chose the Blue Devils to win this one.
Read: Jay Williams sends Duke fans into a frenzy with this ESPN College GameDay moment
In the end, it was a 2-1 vote in favor of the Tar Heels,
Now, these predictions don't mean much, as the results only matter on the court. However, it is good to see that the media has faith in UNC to compete in this one, as they are seeing what the Tar Heel fan base has known for quite some time.
North Carolina has an opportunity to make a statement tonight, and some believe they can do it.