The No.4-seed Pitt Panthers were granted a bye to the quarterfinals, having to face Wake Forest after their victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday. These teams earned one victory each in the regular season, but Wake Forest dominated Pitt with a 33-point win on February 20th. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with a Wake Forest-Pitt prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Wake Forest ended their regular season on a winning note by beating Clemson 81-76. However, it wasn't the smoothest finish for the Deamon Deacons. It started with losses to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech on the road, before losing outright to Georgia Tech as 13.5-point favorites at home in the season's penultimate game.
Pitt enters the ACC Tournament on a hot streak, winning four of five games. Their lone loss came on the road to Clemson as seven-point underdogs. Pitt has the fifth-best odds to win the tournament (+1200), with Clemson (+850) and Wake Forest (+900) sitting behind them in seeding but having better odds to win. Blake Hinson leads the team in scoring with 18.8 points per game. However, their most important player may be Carlton Carrington, averaging 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Wake Forest-Pitt Odds
Wake Forest: -1.5 (-118)
Moneyline: -128
Pitt: +1.5 (-104)
Moneyline: +106
Over: 145.5 (-110)
Under: 145.5 (-110)
How to Watch Wake Forest vs. Pitt
Time: 2:30 PM ET/11:30 AM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Wake Forest Will Cover The Spread/Win
Pitt finished the season well, winning eight of their final ten games. However, one of those losses will be particularly concerning for the Panthers. They visited Wake Forest on February 20th as 5.5-point underdogs, meaning a loss wouldn't have been a huge problem. The Demon Deacons exploded with 91 points and a 33-point victory. That one result may not be able to tell the full story, but it's why Wake Forest has better conference title odds than the Panthers.
Pitt's defense on paper should be able to shutdown Wake Forest, which wasn't the case when the teams met three weeks ago. Wake Forest has an explosive offense, which ranks 59th in the country, averaging 78.7 points per game.
Why Pitt Will Cover The Spread/Win
Pitt has had a well-rounded team all season, which makes having the fifth-best odds in the tournament more surprising. Wake Forest looked good in the first tournament game but finished the regular season by failing to cover the spread in three of their final four games and losing twice outright as favorites.
Pitt's offense gets by on efficient three-point shooting, but their field goal percentage could use some work. Pitt is 92nd in the country, shooting 35.7% from three-point range. However, they are 243rd from the floor, shooting 43.7%. Pitt's three-point shooting props up their scoring offense with an average of 75.8 points per game.
Pitt is even better at defending the three-point shot, holding opponents to 31%. They allow their opponents to shoot 43% from the floor but rank 58th in college basketball in scoring defense. The Panthers hold opponents to 67.5 points per game.
Final Wake Forest-Pitt Prediction & Pick
Wake Forest handled Notre Dame pretty easily in their opening-round matchup, which was important for their psyche after losing to the Fighting Irish to start their three-game skid. Their win over Clemson to end the season showed a glimpse that the Demon Deacons were back in form, and the win over Notre Dame confirmed it. It's hard to look past the 91-58 win over Pitt, and Wake Forest having better odds to win the ACC tournament, despite their seeding. Take Wake Forest to advance in this game and take on the winner of North Carolina/Florida State.
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Final Wake Forest-Pitt Prediction & Pick: Wake Forest -1.5 (-118)
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