The NC State Wolfpack and the Butler Bulldogs meet Friday in college basketball action from Imperial Arena. NC State enters this one at 5-1 overall. The Wolfpack posted a win over Dayton on Thursday. As for Butler, they’re 4-2 this year. The Bulldogs beat BYU by five in their Thursday game. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
NC State hit a four-game winning streak to open up the 2022-23 campaign. The Wolfpack took out Austin Peay, Campbell, FIU and Elon in succession during that quartet. In Wednesday’s matchup versus Kansas, NC State lost 80-74.
In the Thursday game versus Dayton, NC State posted a 36-32 edge by halftime. The Wolfpack hit 40 more points from there in a 76-64 win. Jarkel Joiner led the team on 27 points, and Terquavion Smith had 11 points with six assists.
Over on the Butler side, they managed a win over New Orleans in their opener but then fell 68-62 to Penn State in game two. The Bulldogs went on to beat St. Francis PA and the Citadel before falling to Tennessee 71-45.
In Thursday’s matchup versus BYU, Butler bounced back well from their loss. The Bulldogs posted a 37-30 edge by the break and held on for a 75-70 victory. Jayden Taylor led the way on 20 points, and Eric Hunter had 19 points.
PICK: I might try NC State in this one. The Wolfpack played a pretty solid game against Dayton on Thursday. NC State shot 49.1 percent from the field with 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) from the line and 34 rebounds. This year so far, the Wolfpack have been scoring well with 73 or more points in every game.
As for Butler, they shot a nice 52.8 percent from the floor in their Thursday win over BYU. However, the Bulldogs were also out-muscled on the boards 43-29 (21-7 offensive). The 15 percent (3-of-20) 3-point shooting from the Cougars also didn’t hurt.