It took overtime, but Virginia outlasted Boston College to advance to the ACC semifinals. NC State pulled off the upset, beating No.2-seed Duke. The teams won a game each at home this season, with Virginia needing overtime to take down the Wolfpack. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with an NC State-Virginia prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
NC State bounced back from a four-game losing streak to begin this run that got them to the semifinals. The Wolfpack were the tenth seed, so they needed to play on the tournament's first day against Louisville. NC State scored 94 points against the Cardinals, before another 83-point effort against Syracuse. The Wolfpack's biggest win came at the expense of Duke when they won 74-69 on Thursday. NC State's win over Duke will be remembered for years, as social media always enjoys a Blue Devils choke in March.
Virginia's first ACC tournament game didn't do anything to give fans hope that their March issues are past them. The Cavaliers trailed Boston College for most of the game and needed overtime to beat the No.11 seed. Virginia lost three of five games to end the regular season with the same offensive issues following them. The Cavaliers have too many games with less than 50 points this season but still found a way to finish the year in third in the ACC.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: NC State-Virginia Odds
NC State: +2.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +130
Virginia: -2.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -156
Over: 121.5 (-105)
Under: 121.5 (-115)
How to Watch NC State vs. Virginia
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why NC State Will Cover The Spread/Win
NC State has covered the spread in both ACC tournament games, as they look to be hitting their stride at the correct time. Virginia's lackluster offense showed itself once again against Boston College, and some traits showed they may not be a good tournament team this season. The Cavaliers went 8-18 from the free-throw line, and they were lucky that Boston College struggled to get any offense going. If they had been playing a better offensive team, the Cavaliers wouldn't have been able to hang in the game as long as they did.
Why Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
NC State's defense isn't one of the best units that Virginia will play this season. The Wolfpack are 209th in college basketball, allowing 72.8 points per game. NC State is one of the worst teams in college basketball at defending the three-point shot, but the Cavaliers lean on that to accumulate points. Virginia has one of the slowest offenses in the nation and ranks in the 300s in almost every offensive category. However, they are 41st in three-point efficiency, shooting 36.5%.
Virginia was a profitable betting team, despite their lack of offensive production. The Cavaliers were 17-14-1 against the spread this season, while the Wolfpack were 15-18-1. Virginia has also covered three of their last four games, an improvement over their four-game losing run at the end of February.
Final NC State-Virginia Prediction & Pick
NC State will be a popular pick after Virginia struggled against Boston College. However, the Eagles had top-100 efficiency from the floor and three points. The Cavaliers were able to limit the Eagles' efficiency, and their defense held them in the game. Virginia has been one of the worst free-throw shooting teams this season, but their performance on Wednesday was even worse. Their free-throw shooting surely can't get any worse on Thursday, and the Wolfpack aren't as good of a shooting team as Boston College. Virginia will get clipped by a hot shooting team at some point, but take the chance on it not being in this game.
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Final NC State-Virginia Prediction & Pick: Virginia -2.5 (-120)
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