It's safe to say that it has been a rough couple of days for North Carolina and Hubert Davis. As you all know by now, 5-star freshman Caleb Wilson is not only set to miss the Duke game on Saturday, but he's out for the season due to a broken thumb.
Caleb Wilson all but confirms his UNC 'ride' is over with 3-word message for fans
That news alone stinks for the Tar Heels, but Seth Trimble and others are going to do everything possible to try to stun the No. 1 Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Unfortunately, Vegas isn't giving UNC much of a chance to do so.
On Friday, the first spread was posted and Duke opened favored by 15.5 points. That alone was jaw-dropping. Well, things have since changed, and UNC now finds itself as even bigger underdogs, with that line moving to 17.5 points per the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Duke is now favored by 17.5 points to take down UNC on Saturday night
Obviously, not having Wilson available is impacting things here. Still, the oddsmakers really think Duke is going to flirt with a 20-point win over the Tar Heels in a rivalry game like this? Sorry, but we think that's a bit absurd - it will be on the Heels to prove us right.
Without Wilson, it's going to add extra pressure on Trimble and Henri Veesaar to pick up the pace a bit. On top of that, could another huge game be on the way for Luka Bogavac? On Tuesday night in the win over Clemson, the sharpshooter scored a career-high 20 points, knocking down six 3-pointers.
It was great to see and more of the same will be needed if the Tar Heels want to shock the country and take down Duke. Might a big game be coming for Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson too? Fans can only hope, as everyone will need to play close to perfect in this one.
Duke is the top team in the country for a reason. It's loaded with top talent and Cameron Boozer is very much playing like a potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. That could all prove to be a recipe for disaster for UNC, but this group won't back down from anyone. If anything, these odds could serve as extra motivation for the Tar Heels to prove so many people wrong.