The ACC Tournament is up and going full speed ahead. A tournament dark horse, NC State, has been a tough out even for the best of teams in the conference. They can’t be caught looking ahead as they face a Pittsburgh team that could surely use a booster at this moment.
Will NC State book a ticket to the next round with a big win against the Panthers? Read on as we give you everything you need to know heading into this matchup.
Get a complete look of the ACC Championship with our complete tournament preview.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Pittsburgh Panthers vs. NC State Wolfpack Preview
Where: Greenboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro, NC
When: Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. NC State Wolfpack – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pittsburgh Panthers face an uphill battle in this year’s ACC Tournament. Their first game brings them against a tough NC State team, which blew them out 68-50 in their regular season matchup on January 3.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]But you can’t count out these Panthers, especially with their frontcourt duo of Jamel Artis and Michael Young putting up their best performances of late. Artis has averaged 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in NC State’s last six games, while Young has put up 14.7 points and six rebounds per game during the same stretch.
Artis and Young have had plenty of success because of Pittsburgh’s unselfish style of play. The team ranks second in the ACC and ninth overall in the nation with 16.5 assists per game. The Panthers take care of the ball well as they have a conference-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.69. They were held to 10 dimes against NC State.
Leading Pittsburgh at the point is junior guard James Robinson with five assists per game. He’s took a slight step forward in Pittsburgh’s last 11 games, averaging about six dimes. Robinson’s quite a sharpshooter from long range himself. He made 3-of-4 three-pointers against NC State.
Pittsburgh is 0-4 ATS in its last four games.
Think Pittsburgh pulls out a couple of tricks up their sleeve? Create a betting account now and put your pick to the test.
Betting on the NC State Wolfpack
NC State should have plenty of confidence heading into the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack won five of their last six (5-1 ATS), including wins against ranked teams Louisville and North Carolina.
The Wolfpack’s top three scorers, Ralston Turner, Trevor Lacey and Anthony Barber, have been lights out in closing out the season. Turner has averaged 16.2 points over the last six games, while Lacey and Bennett have scored just over 13 points per game. The trio combined to score 44 of NC State’s 68 points in the regular season win against Pittsburgh.
NC State could seal this game with an excellent shooting night from long range. Turner has been hot from three-point range, averaging 3.5 made threes at a 38 percent clip (21-of-55) in his last six. Lacey has made 5-of-12 in the last two games of the season. Pittsburgh has allowed opponents to shoot 49 percent from downtown in its last three games, and 56 percent in its last one against Iowa State.
NC State has gone 12-4-2 ATS against ACC opponents this season.
Writer’s Prediction
NC State blows out Pittsburgh.
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