The NC State Wolfpack and North Carolina Tar Heels meet Saturday in college basketball action at the Dean E. Smith Center. The NC State Wolfpack look to get back to a .500 record. The North Carolina Tar Heels look for a win after winning six of their last nine games.
The NC State Wolfpack are averaging 74.8 points on 42.8 percent shooting and allowing 73.7 points on 45.5 percent shooting. Dereon Seabron is averaging 19 points and 9.3 rebounds, while Jericole Hellems is averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Terquavion Smith is the third double-digit scorer and Cam Hayes is grabbing 2.3 rebounds. The NC State Wolfpack are shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 70.4 percent from the free throw line. The NC State Wolfpack are allowing 35.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33 rebounds per game.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are averaging 76.9 points on 44.9 percent shooting and allowing 71.1 points on 43.3 percent shooting. Armando Bacot is averaging 16.3 points and 12.1 rebounds, while Caleb Love is averaging 15 points and 3.4 rebounds. RJ Davis is the third double-digit scorer and Brady Manek is grabbing 5.8 rebounds. The North Carolina Tar Heels are shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc and 76.1 percent from the free throw line. The North Carolina Tar Heels are allowing 32.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 38.4 rebounds per game.
The Wolfpack are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games and 6-16 ATS in their last 22 games overall. The Tar Heels are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. The under is 5-2 in Wolfpack last 7 overall. The over is 5-2-1 in Tar Heels last 8 overall. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The North Carolina Tar Heels look to be improved over the last couple of weeks, but they can still go through these funks from time to time, mainly on the defensive side. The NC State Wolfpack are a competitive bunch that doesn’t get blown out often, and we can’t ignore this being a rivalry game. I’ll take my chances with NC State and the points.