NC State Wolfpack (19-14) vs Duke Blue Devils (24-7)
Game Info: Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Capital One Arena)
Betting Odds: Duke Blue Devils -9.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Duke Blue Devils meet Thursday in ACC Tournament college basketball action from Capital One Arena. Let’s get into our NC State vs Duke prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Pick Dawgz.
NC State Wolfpack
The Wolfpack got through their first 22 games this year at 15-7, but it would be a while before the team would win consecutive games again. NC State finished off the regular season on a four-game losing streak versus Florida State, North Carolina, Duke and Pittsburgh, then took out Louisville on Tuesday.
On Wednesday in tourney action versus Syracuse, NC State held a 35-32 edge in the locker room. The Wolfpack hit their stride in the second half on a 48-33 run and eventually took the victory 83-65. Tops in scoring was Jayden Taylor with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Duke Blue Devils
Over on the Duke side, they’ve stayed very consistent this year and only lost consecutive games once (to Arkansas and Georgia Tech). In the last 10 it’s been an 8-2 run with wins over Notre Dame, Boston College, Wake Forest, Florida State, Miami, Louisville, Virginia and NC State.
In their latest outing versus North Carolina on Saturday, Duke fell back into the loss column. The Blue Devils were trailing 40-31 by halftime and couldn’t make up the deficit in an eventual 84-79 result. Leading scorer Kyle Filipowski put up 23 points with seven rebounds and a pair of steals in the defeat.
ANDREW’S FREE NC STATE VS DUKE PREDICTION
I’ll probably stay with Duke here. The Blue Devils are coming off a sour note in a home loss to the rival Tar Heels, so they’ll need a good bounce-back effort Thursday. Duke gave up 50 percent shooting to UNC and got outmuscled on the boards 39-28 in the defeat. The good news is that the Blue Devils have hit 71 or more points in 17 straight games and should notch a solid total in this one as well.
In the last meeting between these teams on March 4, Duke pulled off a 79-64 road victory. The Blue Devils’ major advantage was their 21 points off 10 NC State turnovers. Otherwise the offensive numbers were mostly similar. I like NC State to give Duke a little trouble initially, but in the end I think the Blue Devils will steady the ship and take control.
Andrew’s Pick Duke Blue Devils -9.5
AUTHOR: Andrew Jett
