No. 3 Virginia is finally over its torrid three-game stretch against ranked teams in Duke, North Carolina and Louisville. But the Cavaliers may not be out of the woods yet as go on the road to face an NC State team which has been a tough out even for some of the best teams in the nation. Can the Wolfpack defend their house against the Cavaliers? Read on as we preview this ACC clash.
There’s more action to come in college hoops. Check out our complete previews for Notre Dame vs. Clemson and Kentucky vs. LSU.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Virginia Cavaliers vs. NC State Wolfpack Preview
Where: PNC Arena, North Carolina
When: Wednesday, February 11, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Virginia Cavaliers at NC State Wolfpack – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers fended off a furious Louisville rally, and escaped with a 52-47 win on Saturday. However, the Cavaliers suffered a major casualty in their win as leading scorer and defensive stopper Justin Anderson exited the game due to an injured left hand. Anderson is expected to miss four to six weeks.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Virginia’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense was prominent in the game. The Cavaliers limited Louisville to just 13 points in the first half Saturday’s game, but scored just 24 of their own. Their offense wasn’t on par with their defense as they converted only 33 percent of their field goal attempts against Louisville.
The offense has had a tough time scoring as it is this season (they’re averaging just 68 points per game) and the injury to Anderson, who’s averaging 13.4 points per game this season, will make scoring that much harder.
With Anderson out, Malcolm Brogdon scored 15 points to lead Virginia. He went just 3-for-13 from the field, but converted 8-of-10 foul shots. Drawing fouls should be manageable for the Virginia guard at NC State. The Wolfpack have committed fouls on 24 percent of their defensive plays this season.
Darion Atkins added nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, but made his biggest contributions on the other side of the ball. He finished with three steals and two blocks. He should be up for another big game as NC State has allowed 11 blocks in its last game and 5.8 steals per game this season.
The Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games at NC State.
Betting on the NC State Wolfpack
Anthony Barber carried the load for NC State, scoring a career-high 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting (4-for-8 from beyond the arc). He couldn’t provide the finishing touches, though, as the Wolfpack fell 88-84 to Wake Forest on Tuesday night.
Barber had some help from running mate Trevor Lacey’s 19 points, 12 of which came from three-pointers. Their outside shots face a stern test against Virginia’s tight defense. The Cavaliers have limited opponents to shoot 30 percent from three-point range this season.
While sharing the ball isn’t their strong suit, the Wolfpack may be better served by moving the ball around against Virginia. NC State converted 62 percent of its uncontested shots in the loss to Wake Forest. This is where Virginia has been vulnerable as of late. The Cavaliers have allowed opponents to convert 54 percent of uncontested shots (197th in the nation) over the past three games.
NC State’s playmakers, Barber (3.7 assists per game) and Trevor Lacey (3.5 assists per game), need to find openings for their big men, Abdul-Malik Abu and Kyle Washington. Abu has shot 49 percent from the field over the last five games, while Washington has shot 46 percent.
The Wolfpack are 3-1 ATS in their four games against ranked ACC teams this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia takes the win, but NC State manages to cover the spread.
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