It will be a battle between Atlantic Coast opponents when the North Carolina State Wolfpack (12-12) welcome the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-14) to PNC Arena. The game starts at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Wolfpack fell to Duke 88-80 in their last matchup. Anthony Barber finished with 26 points to lead the team. The Demon Deacons, meanwhile, are coming off a 71-66 loss at the hands of Georgia Tech in their last outing. Devin Thomas had a good shooting night, leading the team with 20 points.
Barber has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Wolfpack. During that stretch, he has averaged 28.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.2 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Demon Deacons won the first game 77-74. Thomas put up 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wolfpack have gone 12-12 Straight Up (SU) and 11-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). North Carolina State has been struggling of late. In the last 10 games, North Carolina State has only averaged 68.6 points per game compared to the 75.3 they’ve averaged on the season. The Wolfpack have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 24th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 40.8 per game, while the Demon Deacons rank 113th in the nation with 37.6 per game. The North Carolina State defense has been struggling to keep points off the board during its most recent matchups. The Wolfpack have given up an average of 80.5 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 72.5 PPG. North Carolina State is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the 35th-fewest turnovers per game at only 11.1.
Across the court, the Demon Deacons head into the game with records of 8-13-2 ATS and 10-14 SU.
Wake Forest beat North Carolina State in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake North Carolina State in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent meetings. Additionally, North Carolina State leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-3-1. North Carolina State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Wake Forest was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – NCSU, ATS Winner – NCSU
Notes
“North Carolina State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“North Carolina State is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of North Carolina State’s last 5 games “.
“North Carolina State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“North Carolina State is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home”.
“North Carolina State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of North Carolina State’s last 5 games at home”.
“North Carolina State is 11-3-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Wake Forest”.
“North Carolina State is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Wake Forest”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina State’s last 5 games when playing Wake Forest”.
“North Carolina State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Wake Forest”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina State’s last 5 games when playing at home against Wake Forest”.
Wake Forest scores 73.2 points per away game (ranked 86th). North Carolina State ranks a poor 213th in points allowed at home, allowing 74.3 points.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons average 70.9 possessions per game and 1.036 points per possession. The North Carolina State Wolfpack earn fewer possessions with 68.4, but they score more points with 1.101.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons average an effective field goal percentage of 49.4% this season. The North Carolina State Wolfpack have a poor record of 4-8 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.4% or greater.
On average, North Carolina State attempts 17.0 three pointers and Wake Forest attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the North Carolina State Wolfpack have a 1-7 record while the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have a solid 7-4 record.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 40.8 per game (ranked 24th). The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are outside the top 100 with 37.6 rebounds per game (ranked 113th).
The North Carolina State Wolfpack make an average of 4.5 steals per game. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are 10-14 when they allow 4 or more steals.
