NCAAB Odds, Pick for North Carolina vs NC State

It's not quite the same level of rivalry as Duke-UNC, but whenever the two state schools in North Carolina square off, there's certainly no love lost.

Given NC State and UNC are both currently tied for first place in the conference at 3-0, the stakes get a little bit higher.

This one will be played in Raleigh, where the Wolfpack haven't lost all year and also where they took down the Tar Heels, 77-69, a year ago.

Wednesday night will mark Carolina's third ACC road game in eight days, which I'm sure Hubert Davis is not thrilled about.

The good news? The Tar Heels are sitting at 2-0 on the road trip with a chance to make it a clean sweep against one of their rivals just 30 miles down the road.

To do that, UNC will need to continue to get solid wing production from Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram.

Ingram has been scoring the basketball in a variety of different ways, and Ryan adds a veteran presence who can guard and knock down open shots from the perimeter.

RJ Davis and Armando Bacot are the known commodities for this group, and they should continue to set the tone inside and out.

Taking care of the basketball will be important in a hostile environment against a NC State defense that loves to swarm to the basketball.

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The Wolfpack haven't lost since December 16 and are starting to gel on both sides of the floor.

DJ Burns Jr. continues to be an absolute load on the inside, and he's nearly impossible to cover one-on-one on the block.

Another bonus has been the fact that of the 350+ teams in Division I, the Pack rank third overall in offensive turnover %.

Wasting possessions had been something that had plagued Kevin Keatts' teams in the past, but this unit is valuing every trip down the floor.

Casey Morsell has seen it all in college basketball and adds a steadiness and leadership to a group that has some new faces.

The Wolfpack aren't a great defensive rebounding team, so keeping Bacot and the other UNC bigs off the glass will be critical to pull off the upset.

In their first two road victories of the ACC season, the Tar Heels have benefited from cold shooting from their opponents, particularly behind the arc.

I think the law of averages will even out a little bit here, and I expect the Pack to come out firing behind their home crowd.

The UNC defense continues to surrender some quality looks from deep, and this feels like the night where it comes back to hurt it.

The Tar Heels will be able to score it plenty when they have the ball, but I think NC State will be able to keep pace and make this one tight throughout.

Give me the Wolfpack and the points in what should be a fun one in Raleigh.

Pick: NC State +4.5

In Q1 2024, North Carolina sports betting fans will be able to bet the games at NC legal sportsbooks. Get the latest news.