ACC Tournament: NC State vs. North Carolina odds, picks and predictions

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

The NC State Wolfpack (21-14) square off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (27-6) in the ACC Tournament Championship Game from Capital One Arena Saturday. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the NC State vs. North Carolina odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.

NC State took Virginia to overtime Friday night and blew the doors off the arena, outscoring it 15-7 in the extra frame to capture a 73-65 win. F DJ Burns Jr. led the way with 19, and C Mohamed Diarra had 9 points and 12 boards. The Wolfpack upset Duke, 74-69, Thursday as 11-point underdogs and stand in the spotlight against their in-state rivals. They lost to the Tar Heels by 9 and 13 in their meetings this season.

UNC, No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, was given a scare by the Pitt Panthers Friday night as they got down by 9 early on. UNC trimmed the lead to 2 and took control in the 2nd half to win 72-65. F Armando Bacot had 19 points and 11 boards. They walked all over Florida State in a 92-67 laugher Thursday.

Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+

NC State vs. North Carolina odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:20 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): NC State +440 (bet $100 to win $440) | North Carolina -610 (bet $610 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): NC State +10.5 (-120) | North Carolina -10.5 (-102)
Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

NC State vs. North Carolina picks and predictions

Prediction

North Carolina 69, NC State 66

Moneyline

There is 1 way that NC State wins this game and punches its ticket to the Big Dance. It’ll have to slow this game down and use its size in the paint. Burns and Diarra have the advantage underneath. If it goes to them early and gets Bacot into foul trouble, that’s its only recipe for success. NC State was just 3-for-17 from distance in the semis against UVA and tied for 152 at 34.5% on the season. Tar Heels G RJ Davis had 25 against Pitt, and he’s the best player on the floor. However, if NC State gets to Bacot, it’ll expose them.

Can NC State pull off the massive upset in order to get the tournament? Perhaps. I’m just not willing to do anything more than toss a free bet on it because UNC is too talented.

Instead, take DJ BURNS JR. OVER 10.5 POINTS (-120). He has 11+ in 3 of 4 games, and he’s massive in the paint at 6-foot-9, 275 pounds.

Against the spread

I’m all over NC State catching 10.5 points here because I think it could upset the complacent Tar Heels. I didn’t like the energy UNC came out with against Pitt, and if it does that against the Wolfpack, it’ll be too late to awaken from the catnap.

Take NC STATE +10.5 (-120).

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Over/Under

As I mentioned, the only chance NC State has is to slow this down and work it inside. Whether or not they’re successful doesn’t matter, but the effort in itself will peg this one toward the Under. The Under has cashed in 4 straight matchups between the schools, but this one is significantly lower. It sounds like the books agree with my assessment on the pace of play.

LEAN UNDER 144.5 (-110).

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /
College Sports Wire: Men’s hoops / Women’s hoops / High School

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]