Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-4) vs. NC State Wolfpack (12-4)
January 16, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: NC State Wolfpack -1.5; Over/Under: +149
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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the NC State Wolfpack meet in college basketball action from the PNC Arena on Tuesday night. Two 4-1 ACC teams go at it here, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and find out with our Wake Forest vs. NC State Prediction.
Wake Forest Team Preview
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons come into this one looking to build on a 66-47 win over Virginia in their last matchup. Hunter Sallis leads the Demon Deacons in scoring with 18 PPG while Kevin Miller has 17.6 PPG with a team-high 4.3 APG to lead the Demon Deacons in assists. Cameron Hildreth has 16.3 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 2.7 APG and Andrew Carr has 13.2 PPG with a team-high 7.8 RPG to lead the Demon Deacons on the glass while rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Wake up to this point in the year. As a team, Wake Forest is averaging 80.9 PPG on 47.8% shooting from the field, 38.4% from three and 80.1% from the foul line this season. Wake Forest will play against Louisville, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh after this one.
NC State Team Preview
The NC State Wolfpack come into this one looking to build on an 89-83 win over Louisville last time out. DJ Horne leads the Wolfpack in scoring with 14.7 PPG along with 2.8 APG while Jayden Taylor has 12.1 PPG with 3.7 RPG. DJ Burns Jr. has 12.6 PPG with 4.4 RPG and 2.8 APG while Casey Morsell has 11.5 PPG with 3.1 RPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for NC State up to this point in the year. Mohamed Diarra has a team-high 5.3 RPG as well for the Wolfpack and Michael O’Connell leads NC State with 3.1 APG as well this season. As a team, NC State is averaging 76.9 PPG on 44.4% shooting from the field, 33.7% from three and 71.2% from the foul line this season.
Wake Forest vs. NC State Prediction
I’m on Wake Forest here. NC State’s offense has really slowed down over the course of conference play, and both teams are similar in terms of defensive efficiency with Wake holding a clear edge in offensive efficiency. I think the Demon Deacons come in and get the win here so give me Wake Forest.
