by James Q
Saturday, Feb 18, 2023NCAA Basketball North Carolina Tar Heels VS NC State Wolfpack Prediction, Spread and Trends to Watch - 02/19/2023
Game Time: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 19th, 2023
Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening NCAAB Odds at USA Sportsbooks
FanDuel: NC State -2.5, O/U 154.5
BetMGM: NC State -2.5, O/U 155.5
Caesars: NC State -2, O/U 155.5
Season Record
Tar Heels: 16-10, 9th place ACC
Wolfpack: 20-7, 5th place ACC
An ACC nationally televised matchup between same state rivals. North Carolina had us all a buzz last season when they beat Duke in the NCAA tournament. And you will recognize some of the same names from that squad still playing their trade for the Tar Heels… guys like SF Leaky Black and C Armando Bacot showed up in last year's March Madness. This season has not been so great. The Tar Heels are mired deep in the ACC standings and need to find an extra gear. The NC State Wolfpack are in a much better spot.. They are 4 places above and hoping for more with the outcome of this game.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have won only 5 of their last 10 games. A death knell for March hopes. They are 1-4 in their last 5 games with losses to Duke, Wake Forest, Pitt, and Miami. Their lone win was Clemson, and who doesn’t beat Clemson? They are only 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. They lost their last game 80-72 against the Miami Hurricanes. In the loss they got 23 points from PG RJ Davis and 20 points from SG RJ Davis… a big part of the problem is that in high level college basketball you can’t win if you only get 3 assists combined from the starting guards. Leaky Black and Armando Bacot needed more touches while the guards were launching 37 combined shots.
The NC State Wolfpack have won 7 of their last 10 games. Going 4-6 ATS during the run. They got wins over Miami and Wake Forest… But the thing to notice is that they lost to these same North Carolina Tar Heel back on January 21st 80-69. This time they are at home… But is the home court worth 11+ points? The Wolfpack lost their last game to the Syracuse Orangemen 75-72. In the loss the Wolpack got 15 points from starters PG Jarkel Joiner, C DJ Burns, and bench player 6’8 guard Jack Clark. It was also PG Jarkel Joiner’s best game since his transfer to the Wolfpack as he got a triple double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists… too bad it came in a loss.
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North Carolina Tar Heels VS NC State Wolfpack Preview and Analysis
RECENT FORM
UNC is 8-17-1 ATS.
NCS is 12-13-2 ATS.
OFFENSIVE ANALYSIS
The Tar Heels rank 40th in the country in scoring with 78.2 points per game, 21st in rebounds with 36 per game. On defense they rank 262nd while allowing 72.5 points per game.
The Wolfpack ranks 36th in the country with 78.7 points per game, 33rd in rebounds with 35 per game. On defense they rank 172nd while allowing 69.2 points per game.
North Carolina Tar Heels VS NC State Wolfpack Prediction
Our prediction for Sunday, February 19th is… NC State 74 - UNC 70
Bet on NC State. While home court advantage is not worth 12 points based on the outcome from last time these teams faced… These teams feel drastically different at the moment. NC State is on the upswing while North Carolina is imploding versus ACC competition.
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NCAAB Betting Trends
North Carolina is 18-7 ATS versus NC State since 1997.
North Carolina is 4-1 ATS versus NC State the last 3 seasons.
NC State is 3-1 ATS off a road loss this season.
Starting Lineup
North Carolina: PG RJ Davis, SG Caleb Love, SF Leaky Black, PF Pete Nance, C Armando Bacot
NC State: PG Jarkel Joiner, SG Casey Morsell, SF Trequavion Smith, PF Greg Gantt, C DJ Burns
Coaches
North Carolina: Hubert “I beat Duke last tournament” Davis
NC State: Kevin “90-68 record in 6 seasons” Keatts
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
