The second round of the ACC Tournament tips off when the No. 8 Syracuse Orange battle the No. 9 North Carolina State Wolfpack for the third time this year in Greensboro, Wednesday afternoon.
The Orange are hoping a solid run in the conference tournament can push them into an at-large bid for the Big Dance, coming off wins over North Carolina and Clemson to finish the regular season. The Wolfpack are among the hottest teams in the ACC, winning five straight and going 4-1 ATS in those contests.
Here are our college basketball betting free picks and predictions for NC State vs. Syracuse on March 10.
NC State vs Syracuse odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonSyracuse opened as a 1.5-point favorite Tuesday afternoon at PointsBet USA, hit -2.5 overnight and by midmorning reached -3, which is where the line is as of 11 a.m. ET. "Seventy-three percent of bets and 79 percent of handle on Syracuse," PointsBet's Wyatt Yearout said. The total opened at 146.5, dipped to 145, then rebounded to the opener. "Nice two-way action on the total, with 53 percent of bets on the Under and 57 percent of money on the Over," Yearout said.
Check out the full line movement for this game
NC State Wolfpack vs Syracuse Orange betting preview
Injuries
NC State: Thomas Allen G (Out), Devon Daniels G (Out).
Syracuse: Bourama Sidibe C (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for NC State vs. Syracuse.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Syracuse won both matchups with North Carolina State this season, most recently a 77-68 victory as a 2.5-point underdog in PNC Arena on February 9. That road win was one of the few positive performances for the Orange away from the Carrier Dome.
Jim Boeheim’s team is just 2-7 SU and ATS on the road and while this is a neutral-site contest in Greensboro, Syracuse backers have to be concerned about the program’s defensive differences away from home. The Orange’s 2-3 zone allows only 65.2 points against as hosts, but gives up 79.4 points in foreign gyms—a difference of most than 14 points.
North Carolina State hasn’t played since its win at Notre Dame on March 3, failing to find a substitute opponent after its finale with Virginia Tech was canceled due to COVID-19 issues with the Hokies. Head coach Kevin Keatts doesn’t believe that break will cool off his offense, which is shooting 49.6 percent during this five-game winning streak.
What’s more impressive is that NC State has strung together those victories despite four of those games coming on the road. The Wolfpack have been able to get good all-around offensive efforts and limit their mistakes, recording only nine turnovers in each of the past three games. In the earlier losses to Syracuse, NC State coughed the ball up a total of 30 times.
It’s tough to beat an opponent three times in one season and just like the Wolfpack’s celebratory ice cream, revenge is a dish best served cold.
PREDICTION: NC State +1.5 (-106)
Over/Under Pick
North Carolina State has one of the most decisive Over/Under splits in the country when it comes to venue. The Wolfpack are a 3-8 Over/Under at home but 10-1 O/U outside of PNC Arena (road and neutral).
As proven by this recent run, NC State isn’t shaken by the setting and should be right at home on the neutral court in Greensboro. The Wolfpack are getting a scoring boost from their freshmen (which is a pretty loose term at this point in the season), with Cam Hayes and Dereon Seabron stepping up during the streak.
We already mentioned Syracuse’s issues slowing opponents when venturing outside of the cavernous Carrier Dome—The Orange are 8-1 Over/Under away from home this season.
PREDICTION: Over 146.5 (-106)
NC State vs Syracuse betting card
- NC State +1.5 (-106)
- Over 146.5 (-106)
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