The NC State Wolfpack take on the Clemson Tigers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our NC State Clemson prediction and pick. Find how to watch NC State Clemson.

North Carolina State is a program with two national championships to its name. In 1974 and 1983, this program conquered college basketball. Lots of people remember Jim Valvano and the remarkable Cinderella story of 1983, but it's worth noting that State was a big hitter in the 1970s under coach Norm Sloan and superstar David Thompson, the most talented basketball player to ever wear an N.C. State uniform. There's a lot of tradition and basketball heritage at the Raleigh-based school. Expectations aren't necessarily at the Final Four level, but they are high. The program should be nationally relevant, and that should translate to annual NCAA Tournament appearances with a chance of making the Sweet 16 on a reasonably continuous basis. State is nowhere close to that standard right now under coach Kevin Keatts.

N.C. State is not in NCAA Tournament position after losing its last two games to Pitt and Wake Forest. The team has to go on a run and find a way to catch fire heading into March. Time and opportunities are running out for the group and for Keatts, who has forged some moments of quality but has not been able to maintain a high standard, a reality which has been underscored in this up-and-down season.

This game at Clemson — a team which will be in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and has won three straight under coach Brad Brownell — feels like a last-chance type of moment for North Carolina State. If the Wolfpack can't win here and dramatically improve their resume, it will be very hard for them to build up their profile before Selection Sunday to the extent that they can be considered as a frontline at-large candidate for March Madness.

Here are the NC State-Clemson College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: NC State-Clemson Odds

NC State Wolfpack: +7.5 (-102)

Clemson Tigers: -7.5 (-120)

Over: 145.5 (-115)

Under: 145.5 (-105)

How To Watch NC State vs Clemson

Time: 7:45 pm ET / 4:45 pm PT

TV: CW Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why NC State Could Cover the Spread

North Carolina State is and will be desperate in this game. The Wolfpack have had a full week of rest since their loss to Wake Forest last Saturday. They did not have to play a midweek game this week, so they have been able to formulate a game plan specifically for Clemson. Everyone on the team knows how huge a game this is. State should come out of the locker room fired up to play with a strong sense of how to attack Clemson. It might not add up to an outright win, but it can certainly enable the Wolfpack to keep the game close enough to cover. Clemson is a good team, and as we have said, this is an NCAA Tournament team having a solid season. That said, Clemson did lose at home to Georgia Tech earlier this season. Georgia Tech is the last-place team in the ACC. Clemson is a good team but not a dominant one. The Tigers will keep State in the game and create a situation in which the Wolfpack will cover the number.

Why Clemson Could Cover the Spread

The N.C. State Wolfpack just aren't that good. They don't get enough defensive stops. They aren't a consistent team. They falter in crunch time. They don't do the little things that go into winning basketball games. It's not always the same thing, but something crops up. They missed a pile of important free throws in the loss to Pitt. Their defense wasn't able to hold the fort in the loss to Wake Forest. It's always something with a team which, to use the familiar phrase, “plays just well enough to lose.” Whatever the required standard is, State falls just short of it. It's hard to trust that kind of team as a bettor, especially on the road against a Clemson side which is plainly better than the Wolfpack.

Final NC State-Clemson Prediction & Pick

Clemson is better and is at home. Take Clemson.

Final NC State-Clemson Prediction & Pick: Clemson -7.5