Offense meets defense when the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals (13-5, 4-1 ACC) welcome the No. 21 North Carolina State Wolfpack (15-3, 3-2 ACC) to KFC Yum! Center. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 24, 2019, and will air on ESPN 3.
North Carolina State Wolfpack at Louisville Cardinals Free Prediction
The last time the Wolfpack played, they beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 77-73. The Wolfpack had an extraordinarily low turnover percentage of 8.5 (better than their season average of 15.6) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (31.7 vs. 25.0). North Carolina State received a boost from C.J. Bryce, who was the top scorer from either team with 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
The Cardinals easily got past the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their last matchup, 79-51. The Cardinals held the Yellow Jackets to an offensive rebounding percentage of 15.8 (below their season average of 26.0). The Yellow Jackets also had a turnover percentage of 21.9 (above the 15.1 mark opponents have averaged against Louisville this season). Jordan Nwora was the top scorer from either team with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength as the productive offense of Louisville (30th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 114.0) takes on the top-notch defense of North Carolina State (28th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 93.3). Furthermore, the Wolfpack are among the country’s best on the offensive backboards, ranking 11th in offensive rebounding percentage (37.8 percent). The Cardinals, however, rank 15th at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 76.7 percent.
After the Wolfpack won the only contest against the Cardinals last season, 76-69, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Wolfpack had a much better turnover percentage (5.4 vs. 19.3) and had a better free throw rate (0.271 vs. 0.250).
North Carolina State Wolfpack at Louisville Cardinals Odds Pick
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Louisville, ATS Winner – Louisville, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
North Carolina State ranks 39th in steals per game (7.9) while Louisville ranks 182nd (5.0).
The Wolfpack rank 18th in assists per game (17.3) while the Cardinals rank 106th (14.1).
North Carolina State ranks 61st in blocks per game (4.1) while Louisville ranks 112th in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
Both of these teams are great at rebounding the ball. The Wolfpack are 20th in the NCAA with 40.4 rebounds per game while the Cardinals are 52nd with 38.7 rebounds per game.
North Carolina State ranks 42nd in three pointers allowed per game (19.6) while Louisville ranks 70th (20.6).
Bettings Trends:
The Wolfpack’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 0.6, down from 17.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cardinals have scored an average of 83.6 points per game (3.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 69.0 points per game (0.2 above their season average).
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