Betsided

Pittsburgh vs. NC State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, Feb. 7 (Bet the under)

College basketball betting preview, prediction and best bet for Pittsburgh-NC State.

By Shelby Dermer

Pittsburgh Panthers Blake Hinson (2) drives towards the basket while being covered by Notre Dame.
Pittsburgh Panthers Blake Hinson (2) drives towards the basket while being covered by Notre Dame. / Michael Longo/For USA Today Network /
facebooktwitterreddit

Pittsburgh has a little bit of light in the ACC, winning four of its last five games, starting with a road upset of then-No. 7 Duke Jan. 20. The Panthers were able to hold off Wake Forest (77-72) and Notre Dame (70-60) at home last week, but will go on the road Wednesday night looking to keep that momentum.

PNC Arena has been friendly to NC State after the Wolfpack suffered through a three-game losing streak in mid-January. NC State got past Miami (74-68) and Georgia Tech (82-76) last week and are short favorites with Pittsburgh coming to town. 

Here’s the betting preview for Wednesday’s ACC matchup with a best bet. 

If you’re looking to bet on any NCAA game tonight, FanDuel Sportsbook has an amazing promotional offer. New users who sign up with the link below and wager $5 will receive $200 in bonus bets if their first bet wins.

Sign up for FanDuel now!

Pittsburgh vs. NC State odds, spread and total

Pittsburgh vs. NC State betting trends

  • Pittsburgh is 12-8-2 ATS this season
  • NC State is 9-12-1 ATS this season
  • Pittsburgh is 1-4-1 ATS as an underdog this season
  • NC State is 7-9 ATS as a favorite this season
  • The OVER is 12-9-1 in both Pittsburgh and NC State games this season 

Pittsburgh vs. NC State how to watch

  • Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7
  • Game time: 7 p.m. EST
  • Venue: PNC Arena
  • How to watch (TV): ESPNU
  • Pittsburgh record: 14-8 (5-6 ACC)
  • NC State record: 15-7 (7-4 ACC)

Pittsburgh vs. NC State key players to watch

Pittsburgh

Blake Hinson: The 6-foot-8 senior forward has led the Panthers over their 4-1 stretch. It started with a 7-of-7 performance from downtown in the win over Duke. Hinson has hit four or more 3-pointers in three of the last five games and is coming off a 17-point performance in Saturday’s win over Notre Dame. Hinson ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring at 18 points per game. 

NC State

DJ Horne: NC State has a deep lineup and Horne, a 6-foot-1 senior guard and hometown product leads the way. Horne is averaging 15.7 points per game and has scored 20-plus points in four of the last seven games. He’s coming off back-to-back 20-point nights in a pair of NC State wins, most recently going for 26 and five rebounds in Saturday’s victory over Georgia Tech. 

Pittsburgh vs. NC State prediction and pick

Pittsburgh has been great this season beating up on lesser teams, going 13-4-1 ATS as a favorite. It’s a different story with the Panthers getting points, though. Pittsburgh is 1-4-1 ATS as an underdog this season, although its one victory against the number was a major upset at Duke. 

Both of these teams are top-100 in KenPom on both sides of the ball, but the story is the defenses. Pittsburgh is No. 64 overall and excels at defending the perimeter (No. 25 against 3s) and on the glass (No. 19 in defensive rebounding). NC State doesn’t perform well in either of those areas, ranking just No. 215 in offensive rebounding percentage while shooting just 32.9% from beyond the arc. NC State is No. 217 in the country in both 2-point and 3-point shooting. 

It’s the same story on the other side of the ball as NC State’s only sub-par metric is defending 3-point shots (No. 228), but Pittsburgh is ninth in the ACC in 3-point shooting despite attempting the most triples per game in the league (27.2).

The Wolfpack are No. 94 in effective field goal percentage on defense and are No. 65 defending 2-point shots.

In a projected tight matchup between two defensive-oriented teams, go with the under. 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks