The Colgate Raiders and the NC State Wolfpack meet Saturday in college basketball from PNC Arena. Colgate put up a seven-point win over Northeastern in their first game of the year. As for the Wolfpack, they won their opener as well. NC State took out Bucknell by 18 points on Tuesday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Colgate managed to go 14-2 overall last year with an 11-1 mark in the Patriot League games. The Raiders landed in first place in their division and plowed through the conference tourney for a championship. Colgate lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament to Arkansas.
The Raiders got off to a slow start in their opener versus Northeastern with just 23 first-half points, but eventually surged for a 65-58 victory. Nelly Cummings was the team’s top scorer with 25 points and two boards, while Tucker Richardson added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Over on the NC State side, they went 14-11 overall last year with a 9-8 ACC record. The Wolfpack landed near the middle of the conference standings but still got an invite to the NIT. NC State beat Davidson in the first game before falling to Colorado State in the Quarterfinals.
NC State took a while to get past Bucknell in their first game, heading into the break tied 40-40. The Wolfpack scored 48 points from there however, eventually winning 88-70. Jericole Hellems was the team’s leading scorer with his 22 points, four rebounds and one steal.
NC State is 2-11 ATS in the last 13 Saturday games and 0-4 ATS in the last four as a favorite. The Wolfpack are 0-7-1 ATS in the last eight at home.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games and 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games versus a team with a winning straight-up record.
PICK: I’m probably sticking with NC State despite the tepid first half in their opener. Bucknell shot 46.0 percent from the floor (to NC State’s 45.8 percent) and was initially able to keep up. The Wolfpack were strong on the boards however, with a 42-33 rebound advantage and just seven turnovers to Bucknell’s 17.
As for Colgate, they put together a good win in their opener this week, but I don’t know if they’ve got the offense to keep up with NC State if they’re hitting shots.