It will be a battle between Atlantic Coast opponents when the North Carolina State Wolfpack (10-4) welcome the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (12-2) to RBC Center. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Wolfpack were beaten by Virginia Tech 73-68 in their last game. Beejay Anya played well for the Wolfpack, contributing six points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. The Cardinals are coming off a 65-57 win over Wake Forest in their last outing. Donovan Mitchell led the game in scoring with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting.
Based on each team’s statistical profile, ball protection could play an integral role in this matchup. North Carolina State commits the 19th-fewest miscues in the nation (TO% of 15.3%), while the gambling defense of Louisville forces the 29th-most (opponents’ TO% of 22.6%). Furthermore, the defense of the Cardinals should have an advantage in terms of eFG%. They’re fifth in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 41.9%), while the offense of the Wolfpack ranks 303rd in eFG% (46.3%).
North Carolina State is a six-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 134 points. The Wolfpack are attempting to build on their records of 10-4 Straight Up (SU) and 5-6 Against The Spread (ATS).
On the other side, the Cardinals head into the game with records of 6-4 ATS and 12-2 SU. They sport the 26th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 83.6 points per game. Louisville is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Cardinals average 14.9 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 11th-best team in the country for that category. The Louisville defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking second in Division I with only 57.4 points allowed per game. Louisville’s defense is one of the top in the nation, with opponents shooting only .363 from the field. They average 5.4 blocks per game, good for 30th in the nation. Don’t expect Louisville to give away the ball much on offense, where its 11.3 turnovers per game ranks 44th in the country.
North Carolina State and Louisville will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Wolfpack were winners, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record (1-1). The teams also have an even 1-1 record ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Lou, ATS Winner – Lou, O/U – Under
Notes
North Carolina State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
North Carolina State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home.
Louisville is a perfect 1-0 SU against conference rivals, while North Carolina State is a winless 0-1 SU against its foes.
Louisville averages 83.6 points per game (ranked 26th). North Carolina State, on the other hand, allows 68.7 points per game (ranked 130th).
Ranked fifth, the Louisville Cardinals have an offensive rating of 124.3. The North Carolina State Wolfpack, on the other hand, rank 149th with a defensive rating of 100.2.
The Louisville Cardinals have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the nation with a FG% of 50.8%. The North Carolina State Wolfpack have split their games this season (1-1) when opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Louisville Cardinals both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. North Carolina State is 303rd and 279th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Louisville ranks 21st and seventh in these categories.
Louisville ranks 73rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25. North Carolina State is ranked lower at 143rd with an A/TO of 1.10.
North Carolina State ranks among the best in the nation in rebounding at eighth (43.3 rebounds per game). Louisville is ranked 15th with 42.5 rebounds per game.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Louisville ranks 11th. North Carolina State ranks 55th in defensive rebounds.
On average, North Carolina State forces a turnover rate of 16.2%. When Louisville turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a formidable 6-2 record.
