There were two big upsets in the ACC over the weekend. On Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels overcame a 13-point deficit to edge the Louisville Cardinals. A day later, the NC State Wolfpack outplayed Duke for a 12-point win. The two Tobacco Road rivals now meet in a pivotal ACC clash. Which team continues its climb toward the top of the ACC? Read on as we break down the action to come.
For more college basketball action, check out our previews for Iowa State vs. Baylor and Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech, which also go Wednesday night.
[sc:MarchMadness ]North Carolina Tar Heels vs. NC State Wolfpack Preview
Where: PNC Arena, North Carolina
When: Wednesday, January 14, 7:00 PM ET
Line: North Carolina Tar Heels (-3.5) at NC State Wolfpack (+3.5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels
Marcus Paige scored some style points in the North Carolina Tar Heels’ 72-71 upset over the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. He drove in for the game-deciding layup with 8.5 seconds left to give North Carolina the win.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Paige was just one of four Tar Heels to score in double-digits against the Cardinals’ defense that has allowed only 56.5 points per game (15th in the nation). Kennedy Meeks (13) and J.P. Tokoto (10) also did, while Brice Johnson had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. With their upset win, the Tar Heels should be confident facing off against state rival NC State. The Wolfpack have allowed 63.2 points per game (120th in the nation) this season.
What makes the Tar Heels so effective is their ability to spread out their offense. North Carolina ranks eighth in the nation with 17.8 assists per game. Against Louisville, the starters had 15 assists among them. Tokoto leads the team with 4.1 assists per game this season. He had five in the win against Louisiville. State has allowed an average of 13.7 assists in its home games this season.
Averaging 17 offensive rebounds per game (second in the nation) also helps the Tar Heels’ offense to gain second chance points to put their opponents away. Meeks leads the team with 3.4 offensive boards per game and has 54 overall this the season.
North Carolina is on a three-game win streak (2-1 ATS) against NC State.
Betting on the NC State Wolfpack
The NC State Wolfpack had an excellent upset of their own when they toppled No. 2 Duke 87-75 on Sunday. They limited the high-powered offense of the Blue Devils to .37% from the field, way off Duke’s season average of jsut over 50%. The Wolfpack had an excellent shooting night as well. They shot 55% and went 10-for-16 from beyond the arc.
Guard Trevor Lacey had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting (5-for-7 from downtown) to lead NC State in scoring. Another guard in Ralston Turner had a big game going 4-for-7 in his three-point attempts and sinking in all four of his free throws for 16 points. Expect this backcourt duo to fancy their chances downtown against the Tar Heels. North Carolina has allowed an average of 6.9 three pointers on the road this season.
What could give NC State the edge in this game is its ability to block shots. The Wolfpack are seventh in the nation with 6.3 blocks per game. 6’9” sophomore Kyle Washington had a big game in limiting the Blue Devils on Sunday finishing with four blocks. Another one of the Wolfpack’s big men in 6’9” Beejay Anya may see some increased playing time against North Carolina. He had a big game finishing with 14 points and four blocks against Duke.
The Wolfpack are 3-1 ATS in their last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Tar Heels’ ability to find the open man leads them to a win and cover. Create a betting account now and get in on an excellent stretch of scheduling in college basketball.
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