Furman vs. NC State Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, December 13 (Only One of These Teams Plays Defense)
By Josh Yourish
The NC State Wolfpack are 8-3 on the season, but things have not gone too well in the ACC so far. They are 0-2 in their conference and most recently suffered a loss to No. 25 Miami. Tonight, they’ll try to bounce back against the 7-3 Furman Paladins and Mike Bothwell. Last time out, Furman beat Winthrop 82-67, but the game before was a tough loss to High Point.
How will Furman do taking the step up against an ACC opponent? Vegas thinks they can hang around in this one, so let’s take a look at the odds.
Furman vs. NC State Odds, Spread and Total
Furman vs. NC State Prediction and Pick
Mike Bothwell will need to be great for Furman to beat NC State, as he has for much of this season. Bothwell is averaging 20.3 points and 4.6 assists out of the backcourt for the Paladins high-powered offense. They’re scoring 82.3 points a game and are shooting 50.4% from the floor which is 12th best in the country. They are efficient, but don’t play fast, they’re 106th in KenPom’s adjusted tempo compared to NC State which ranks 44th.
NC State scores 81 points per game while playing much faster than Furman which is more reliable from a betting perspective. If Furman goes cold from the field then they’ll struggle to score, because they rely on their offense being so efficient, but NC State doesn’t need to be perfect because they’re playing faster and getting more opportunities. They also play defense which is something that Furman doesn’t do.
The Paladins allow their opponents to shoot 47.3% which ranks 338th in the country and give up 70.7 points a game. NC State will take advantage and cover in this one.
Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change