Atlantic Coast foes will lock horns when the Pittsburgh Panthers (15-2) face the North Carolina State Wolfpack (10-8) at Petersen Events Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.
The Panthers enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling Boston College 84-61 on Saturday. Jamel Artis was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 67-55 loss against North Carolina on Saturday. North Carolina State lost despite the best efforts of Abdul-Malik Abu, who recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Pittsburgh is a nine-point favorite against North Carolina State and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 143 points. The Panthers have gone 15-2 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7 Against The Spread (ATS). The Panthers have no trouble scoring as they rank 24th in the nation in offense with 82.7 points per game. The Panthers lead Division I in free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .781 from the free throw line. Pittsburgh is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 19.1 assists per game. As for the Pittsburgh defense, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Panthers. The 64.8 points that Pittsburgh’s defense allows per game makes them the 38th-ranked defense in the country. The Panthers prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 43rd in the nation with 101 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game). Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Panthers, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country with an average of 28.0 per game.
As for their opponent, the Wolfpack have 10-8 SU and 7-7-1 ATS records. The Wolfpack have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 15.9 offensive rebounds per game, sixth in the country. Taking care of the basketball is something the Wolfpack do very well, averaging just 10.9 turnovers per game.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. North Carolina State won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 3-1. The Wolfpack also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pitt, ATS Winner – Pitt, O/U – Over
Notes
Pittsburgh is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games.
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Pittsburgh is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 82.7 points per game (ranked 24th). North Carolina State, on the other hand, allows 70.4 points per game (ranked 163rd).
Pittsburgh averages 84.6 points per home game (ranked 44th). North Carolina State allows 66.8 points per away game (ranked 29th).
In its last game, Pittsburgh won by a margin of 23 points. North Carolina State is 3-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Pittsburgh has an 8-1 record in blowouts.
The Pittsburgh Panthers have a defensive rating of 96.4 (ranked 57th), while the North Carolina State Wolfpack have an offensive rating of 108.8 (ranked 107th).
Pittsburgh has an average field goal percentage of 49.1% (ranked 18th). North Carolina State is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Pittsburgh Panthers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Pittsburgh is 29th and 18th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while North Carolina State ranks 317th and 303rd in these categories.
Ranked seventh in the nation, Pittsburgh has an average of 19.1 assists per game. North Carolina State ranks lower at 299th with 11.5.
Pittsburgh ranks 61st in blocks per game with 4.8 and North Carolina State ranks 55th with 4.8 blocks per game.
Pittsburgh ranks 63rd in offensive rebounding. North Carolina State ranks 124th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Pittsburgh makes 4.8 steals per game. North Carolina State has a winning 10-6 record when it gives up at least 4 steals.
