Syracuse Orange (16-10) vs. NC State Wolfpack (16-9)
February 20, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: NC State Wolfpack -4.5; Over/Under: 149.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Syracuse Orange and the NC State Wolfpack meet Tuesday in college basketball action from PNC Arena. Syracuse is 16-10 overall this year and coming off a loss to Georgia Tech. As for NC State, they beat Clemson on Saturday to move to 16-9 so far. Let’s get into our Syracuse vs. NC State prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Syracuse Orange
The Orange lost six of their first 20 games, falling to Tennessee, Gonzaga, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and Florida State. Syracuse is just 2-4 since then with wins over Louisville and North Carolina alongside losses to Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Matched up against Georgia Tech on Saturday, the Orange took a 34-30 deficit into the second half. Syracuse didn’t get any closer on a 31-30 run from there and took the loss 65-60 in the end. JJ Starling was the leading team scorer on 18 points with four rebounds and one steal.
NC State Wolfpack
Over on the NC State side, they lost to only BYU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and North Carolina over their first 17 outings. The Wolfpack are 3-5 in the last eight though, falling to Virginia Tech, Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest with wins over Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson otherwise.
In the Clemson game over the weekend, the Wolfpack managed to take the lead 39-35 by halftime. NC State was outscored 42-39 from there but held on for the tight win 78-77. DJ Horne was the top scorer with his 27 points, four rebounds and two steals in 39 minutes.
ANDREW’S FREE SYRACUSE VS NC STATE PREDICTION
I’ll try Syracuse here, but you could make a case either way. The Orange didn’t play well against Georgia Tech in their last game, shooting just 36.7 percent from the field and 16 percent (4-of-25) from 3-point range with a rough 49-28 rebounding deficit. It’s been a choppy run for Syracuse lately, but they’d been scoring well prior to that last outing with 68 or more points in nine straight games.
The last time these teams met up back on January 27, Syracuse pulled off a 77-65 home win. The Orange got off to a great start in that one and ended up shooting 44.6 percent from the field. I’ll lean toward Syracuse covering in the rematch, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Wolfpack get some revenge either.
