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The NC State Wolfpack is set to face the Duke Blue Devils this weekend. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our NC State Duke prediction, odds, and pick.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack finally produced a complete game earlier this week against Louisville on the road, but the unfortunate part of that game is how rare it has been within the larger context of the Pack's season. If you are thinking about an NC State Duke pick, you need to realize that North Carolina State is a very enigmatic team — not just this year, but every year. NC State has a well-earned reputation for being the team which zigs when you expect it to zag. The Wolfpack very nearly beat Purdue but lost in overtime. They lost at home to Wright State and were not really competitive in that game. NC State lost to Richmond but won at Virginia Tech. The team is a total mystery, always seeming to confound expectations.
Coach Kevin Keatts has had a rocky, bumpy tenure in Raleigh. He just can't get his team to play at a consistently high level. Fans see the great moments, the times when NC State maxes out and looks especially dangerous on a national scale. Then they see the rock-bottom moments when the Wolfpack simply don't compete or function as well as they should. The win over Louisville was a must; now the Pack will try to get a season-changing upset which would get the attention of college basketball odds analysts. What's your NC State-Duke prediction? You might have to go against the grain.
Duke's challenge in this year's ACC is to remain hungry. That might seem like a weird thing to say — why would any team have a hard time being hungry and competitive on the court? — but since no one else in the ACC seems to be particularly good, Duke could get trapped in a mindset of thinking it can just show up and win. Duke has not been especially impressive for a large portion of the season. The Blue Devils looked like national champions in their win over Gonzaga but have rarely reattained that level since then. They did, however, look very strong on the road at Wake Forest earlier this week. Given that Wake has been one of the comparatively better teams in the ACC so far this season, that win served notice: Duke is still the clear-cut ACC favorite and has the ability to blow away the rest of the conference in the coming months.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the NC State-Duke odds:
College Basketball Odds: NC State-Duke Odds
NC State: +14 (-120)
Duke: -14 (-102)
Over: 149 (-120)
Under: 149 (-102)
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Why NC State Could Cover the Spread
The Wolfpack won't be expected to beat Duke, so this is where NC State becomes dangerous and often plays above its talent level. The Wolfpack aren't especially disciplined on defense, but they have gifted scorers who, when locked in, can be a headache for opponents.
Why Duke Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Devils flexed their muscles against Wake Forest and will enter this game with considerable confidence. Duke, playing at its best, is miles better than NC State and the rest of the ACC, including Virginia and North Carolina.
Final NC State-Duke Prediction & Pick
The “Law of NC State” says to pick the Wolfpack when they're a big underdog and pick against them when they're a hefty favorite. Try it. You might like it.
Final NC State-Duke Pick: NC State +14
