The North Carolina Tar Heels and the North Carolina State Wolfpack renew their rivalry on Saturday in Raleigh, NC. The Tar Heels come in with an overall record of 10-6 and with two straight wins in ACC play. The Wolfpack are now 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the ACC after surviving a tight win over Notre Dame at home on Wednesday night. The opening tap for this game is scheduled for 4:00 pm EST.
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Read on for the prediction of the UNC/NC State game.
North Carolina seeking consistency
The North Carolina Tar Heels followed up their thrilling last-second win over Notre Dame with a workman-like 82-67 win over ACC newcomer SMU on Tuesday night at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. North Carolina improved to 10-6 overall and has now won two straight games.
"I thought we did a really good job defending the post," Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said. "We double-teamed the post. We worked on that in the last couple days of practice, and I thought we executed that really well. I thought we also did a really good job staying with their shooters."
The Tar Heels drilled 11 three-pointers against the Mustangs and never trailed in their first ever meeting as conference foes. The Tar Heels' defense limited SMU to a season-low 33 percent shooting and 22 percent from beyond the arc. Offensively, UNC was led by RJ Davis and his 26 points. Davis also added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a complete effort. Teammate Drake Powell had a season-high four 3-point field goals and scored 17 points, including 14 in the first half.
The North Carolina Tar Heels hope to win their third straight game on Saturday at the expense of rival North Carolina State. They also hope to improve to over .500 on the road this season with a win at NC State. The Tar Heels are 16th in the nation in scoring offense this season. They are 105th in field goal shooting and 219th in shooting beyond the arc. The Tar Heels are ranked 175th in 3-point field goals made per game this season. They are 117th in turnovers per game and 26th in offensive efficiency. Defensively, the Tar Heels rank 296th in scoring defense this season. They are 102nd in field goal defense and 209th in 3-point defense. The Heels rank 210th in forced turnovers per game and 47th in defensive efficiency. They remain one of the better rebounding teams in the nation, checking in at 56th in the country in total rebounds per game while playing the fourth toughest schedule in the nation to date.
Key Injuries: No Injuries to Report.
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Wolfpack steals win
The North Carolina State Wolfpack ended a two-game skid and roared back from a late 7-point deficit to steal a 66-65 win over Notre Dame at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC on Tuesday night. The Wolfpack held the Irish without a field goal over the final three and a half minutes and Ben Middlebrooks sank one of two free throws to earn the win.
"ACC wins, you guys know how hard they are. It seems like every time, Notre Dame is a 1-point game somewhere, but we were excited to get out of there with the win and something that we can build on." head coach Kevin Keatts said after the win.
The Wolfpack are now 9-6 overall and 2-2 in ACC play with the win. They were led on Tuesday night by Marcus Hill's 15 points and he was joined in the double-digit column by Jayden Taylor with 14 points and Middlebrooks who chipped in with 10. The Wolfpack's offense was very efficient, finishing with 14 assists overall and just seven turnovers. They also finished the game with a decided advantage in transition, outscoring Notre Dame 15-2 on fastbreak points.
The Wolfpack hope to build momentum following their thrilling win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night, their first conference win of the season. A victory over the Tar Heels will push the Wolfpack to 2-2 in ACC play this season. They come into this contest ranked 175th in the country in scoring. The Wolfpack are 52nd in field goal shooting and 232nd in 3-point shooting. They are ranked 324th in the country in 3-point field goals made per game. The Pack is 27th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game and ranks 81st in offensive efficiency. On the defensive end, the Wolfpack are 59th in the nation in scoring defense. They rank 169th in field goal defense and 58th in 3-point defense. The Wolfpack are 73rd in forced turnovers per game and 121st in defensive efficiency. On the glass, NC State is ranked just 273rd in the country. Like the Heels, the Wolfpack played a challenging non-conference schedule ahead of ACC play, ranking 172nd in the nation.
Key Injuries: G Mike James is out.
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Best Bets for North Carolina (UNC) vs. NC State
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Tar Heels were a perfect 2-0 against the Wolfpack during the regular season last year but lost to them in the ACC Tournament. The Heels come into this game riding a two-game winning streak and with one of the best offenses in the nation. They are in the top 20 in scoring in the country and play extremely fast. The Heels can play fast thanks to one of the best rebounding units in the country. UNC is 56th in the nation in total rebounds per game this season, far superior to NC State, which ranks just 273rd in the nation. The gap defensively between the two schools is much closer. NC State also dropped three of four games before the last-second win over Notre Dame. They allowed over 70 points in each of those losses. I'm banking on the Heels pushing their total well past 70, which is not a number the Wolfpack are comfortable going up against.
Take the Tar Heels.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Contrasting styles will be on display this Saturday at NC State. The Wolfpack wants to slow this game down, while the Heels want to play fast and get the score into the 70s and 80s. The Heels play at the 7th-fastest pace of play in the country while NC State is ranked just 273rd in pace of play. However, UNC should have the edge here with a decided rebounding advantage and that should allow the Tar Heels to get out and run more frequently. I like the Heels to win this game outright and, given that, I'm apt to play the over given that they are more comfortable in a game played with pace.
Take the over.
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