A pair of top-25 ACC teams will battle it out Tuesday night as the No. 22 NC State Wolfpack (19-5, 9-4) take on the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers (17-4, 9-3). The Cavaliers will host this one at the John Paul Jones Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
The Cavaliers are the favorite in this one playing at home. They are -310 to win, while the Wolfpacks’ moneyline sits at +245. The spread features NC State as 7.5-point underdogs (-115), and the over/under for total points is 136.5 (-110).
Wolfpack Look To Leapfrog The Cavaliers
At 9-4 in the ACC, the Wolfpack sit just a half-game behind both Virginia and Pitt. A win Tuesday night could help leapfrog NC State into second place in the conference while also giving them their 20th win of the season.
To do so, NC State will have to play better on the road. They have won four games in a row overall, but they are just 3-3 when playing on enemy ground.
Offensively, the Wolfpack have been one of the best teams in the country. In terms of scoring, they rank 17th overall, averaging 79.6 points per game (73.2 on the road).
Leading the way for NC State is sophomore guard Terquavion Smith. In 24 games, he is averaging 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.7 steals.
Other contributors include Jarkel Joiner (16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists), Casey Morsell (12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds), and D.J. Burns Jr (12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds).
On defense, NC State ranks 161st, allowing opponents an average of 69.5 points per game.
Virginia Look To Stay Solid At Home
Virginia will be excited to return home after a 74-68 upset loss to Virginia Tech in their last outing. The Cavaliers are 5-3 on the road, but they are an outstanding 10-1 at home.
Their success is largely due to one of the best defenses in the nation. They rank ninth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 60.9 points per game (56.3 points when playing at home).
Offensively, Virginia ranks 186th in the nation, averaging 70.3 points per game (72.4 at home). They are led by senior guard Armaan Franklin, who is averaging 12.7 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The Cavaliers have three others averaging double digits in Kihei Clark (11.6 points, 6 assists), Jayden Gardner (11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds), and Reece Beekman (10 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists).
Take Virginia To Both Win And Cover
Looking at the trends, NC State is 8-1 in their last nine games, but they are just 4-9 against the spread in their last 13 road games. Furthermore, they are 3-9 in their last 12 games versus Virginia.
On the flip side, Virginia is 7-1 in their last eight games and undefeated in their last five at home.
This is a classic matchup of an elite offense versus elite defense. This one might very well come down to the venue. For the Cavaliers, they thrive playing in front of their home crowd at John Paul Jones Arena and you can expect that to continue in this one.
Expect Virginia’s defense to frustrate and stifle a solid NC State offense. Take Virginia to both win and to cover the 7.5-point spread in this one.
