NC State vs. Syracuse Prediction, Odds and Key Players for ACC Tournament Second Round (Back Orange)

NC State extended its faint hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid by beating helpless Louisville in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

The Wolfpack now face Syracuse, who the team lost both games to in the regular season. The Orange play an aggressive defensive style that lends itself to high scoring matchups, can we be in for more fireworks on Wednesday night?

Here's our full betting preview for NC State vs. Syracuse in second round ACC Tournament action:

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NC State vs. Syracuse Odds, Spread and Total

Syracuse vs. NC State Betting Trends

• NC State is 13-18-1 against the spread (ATS) this season)
• Syracuse is 13-18 ATS this season
• Syraucse has gone OVER in eight of the last 10 games
• NC State has gone OVER in seven of the last 10 games

NC State vs. Syracuse How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, March 13
• Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
• Venue: Capital One Arena
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
• NC State Record: 18-14
• Syracuse Record: 20-11

Syracuse vs. NC State Key Players to Watch

Syracuse

Judah Mintz: Mintz leads the Orange in scoring, posting nearly 19 points per game while dishing out about five assists per game. He controls the rock for this up-tempo Syracuse attack that loves to play in the open court, can he outduel the Wolfpack wings to keep Syracuse's conference tournament run alive?

NC State

Jayden Taylor: With DJ Horne out the past two games, the Butler transfer has stepped up, scoring 28 in a loss against Pitt over the weekend and pouring in eight points and eight rebounds against Louisville. Can the 6'4" wing slow down Mintz and continue to shoulder part of the offensive burden against an aggressive Syracuse defense?

Syracuse vs. NC State Prediction and Pick

Syracuse won both meetings against NC State, and I like the team's hopes of making it three in a row against a Wolfpack team that has been circling the drain of late behind potential lame-duck coach Kevin Keatts.

The Syracuse defense may rank last in ACC play in two-point percentage defense, which can be pivotal against NC State big man DJ Burns, but Syracuse's relentless ball pressure may offset some of those concerns as the Wolfpack need to dig deeper into its bench to keep up.

The Wolfpack defense is below the national average in points allowed per possession in transition, a big issue against Syracuse who is sixth on the offensive side of the ball in the same metric.

Further, Syracuse gets to the free throw line at the highest rate in the league, impactful against the Wolfpack's handsy defense that is sending teams to the charity stripe at the second highest rate in ACC play.

I'll trust Syracuse to push past a struggling Wolfpack defense and advance to the quarterfinals.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!