Virginia vs NC State Prediction 2/24/26 College Basketball Picks Today
NC State (19-8) vs. Virginia (24-3)
February 24, 2026 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Virginia -4.5; Over/Under: 152.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Virginia Cavaliers meet Tuesday in college basketball action from John Paul Jones Arena. Here’s a Virginia vs NC State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Virginia vs NC State pick.
NC State Wolfpack Betting Preview
NC State managed to win 10 of their first 14 games this season, but then lost two of the next four versus Virginia and Georgia Tech. In the next six games came victories versus Clemson, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Wake Forest, SMU and Virginia Tech in succession, then a loss to Louisville and another versus Miami. After a win over North Carolina the Wolfpack are sitting at 19-8 overall this year.
Last Tuesday versus North Carolina, the Wolfpack jumped out to a dominant 42-26 advantage by halftime. NC State hit a 40-32 run the rest of the way and powered out the win in the end 82-58 in blowout fashion on their home court. Quadir Copeland put up 20 points with seven assists and six rebounds while Darrion Williams added 13 points with one rebound and one assist.
Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview
Over on the Virginia side, they posted losses versus only Butler and Virginia Tech during a 16-2 start this season. The Cavs would then fall versus North Carolina before wins over Notre Dame, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Florida State, Ohio State and Georgia Tech in the next seven outings. Over the first 26 games that would make for a 23-3 overall record for the Cavaliers.
On Saturday versus Miami, Virginia was trailing at the half by a margin of 44-39. The Cavaliers woke up in the second half on a 47-39 run however, eventually powering out the comeback victory on their home floor 86-83 in the end. Leading the team in the win was Jacari White with 17 points and five assists. Thijs De Ridder added 14 points with three assists and a pair of steals.
NC State Wolfpack @ Virginia Cavaliers Betting Trends: February 24, 2026
Why the Virginia Cavaliers will win
- Virginia has won each of its last 15 games at John Paul Jones Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- NC State has lost six of its last seven road games following a home win.
- Virginia has won the first half in each of its last eight night games at John Paul Jones Arena.
Why the NC State Wolfpack will win
- NC State has won each of its last six Tuesday games.
- NC State has won the first half in 10 of its last 12 games.
Virginia vs NC State Prediction
I’ll stick with Virginia. The Cavaliers took a little while to get going in their home victory over a very good Miami team this past weekend but eventually shot a very nice 58 percent from the field, 50 percent (12-of-24) from outside and 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the line. Virginia got outscored in the paint 40-30 and outmuscled on the boards 25-21, however. The Cavs are up to eight straight wins now, posting 70 or more points in six of them.
These teams last saw each other back on January 3 in a 76-61 road victory for Virginia. In that one the Cavs shot a nice 50 percent from the field while giving up just 36 percent on the other side. Virginia added a 36-20 rebounding edge as well, but did have 13 turnovers along the way. I like the Cavaliers to power out a cover at home in the rematch, even with NC State riding high after their victory versus the Tar Heels last week.
