The Syracuse Orange (18-10) will wrap up the regular season when they challenge the North Carolina State Wolfpack (14-14) at Carrier Dome. Action gets underway at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Orange are hoping to rebound after their 66-52 loss to Pittsburgh in their last game. Tyler Lydon finished with 21 points to lead the team. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 80-68 loss at the hands of North Carolina in their last game. Anthony Barber had a good shooting night, leading the game with 32 points.
North Carolina State could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as it ranks 18th in the nation in OR% at 37.2%. Conversely, Syracuse places 334th in the nation on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 64.9%.
The Orange are hoping to build on their records of 18-10 Straight Up (SU) and 13-14 Against The Spread (ATS). Syracuse has averaged 77.4 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 69.9. The Orange are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Turning to the defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Orange. The 64.7 points that Syracuse’s defense allows per game makes them the 27th-ranked defense in the country. Teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Orange, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the nation at .306. The Orange are 24th in the country in steals with 8.1 per game.
As for their opponent, the Wolfpack have 14-14 SU and 13-11-1 ATS records. Offensively, the Wolfpack have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 75.1 points per game after averaging only 69.1 during that stretch. North Carolina State is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Wolfpack average 40.1 rebounds per game, making them the 30th-best team in the country for that category. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Wolfpack on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 64.4 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 73.4. Taking care of the basketball is something the Wolfpack do very well, averaging just 11.0 turnovers per game.
Syracuse and North Carolina State meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. North Carolina State won the last game in the matchup, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record (3-3). However, North Carolina State holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Syr, ATS Winner – Syr
Notes
“Syracuse is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Syracuse is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games “.
“Syracuse is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home”.
“Syracuse is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Syracuse’s last 6 games at home”.
“Syracuse is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing North Carolina State”.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack currently sit below 0.500 against the Atlantic Coast Conference at 4-11 SU, while the Syracuse Orange have an 8-7 SU record.
Syracuse scores just 71.3 points per home game (ranked 211th). North Carolina State ranks 56th in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.0 points.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack rank 76th for their offensive rating of 110.6. The Syracuse Orange have a defensive rating of 100.0 (ranked 98th).
Syracuse has an average field goal percentage of 42.3%. North Carolina State is a subpar 6-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Syracuse Orange rank lower for their field goal percentage (260th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (187th), but the North Carolina State Wolfpack have a better FG% ranking (231st) than eFG% ranking (264th).
Syracuse ranks 96th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.19. North Carolina State is ranked lower at 174th with an A/TO of 1.05.
North Carolina State, the 30th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.1 rebounds per game. Syracuse does worse, ranked 183rd with 36.1.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, North Carolina State ranks ninth. Syracuse ranks 290th in defensive rebounds.
On average, North Carolina State forces a turnover rate of 15.1%. When Syracuse turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 13-7 record.
