NC State vs Virginia Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight's College Basketball Game

The Hoos defend at a high level inside and out, which is a big reason why we're betting on them to cover the first-half spread at home.

Rohit Ponnaiya - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Rohit Ponnaiya • Betting Analyst
Feb 24, 2026 • 13:58 ET • 4 min read

NCAAB

Match starts: 3 hrs
NCST
42 %
UVA
58 %
EXPERT PICK - SPREAD
Virginia -3.5 (-110) Virginia -3.5 (-110)
Read Analysis
Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso battles for the ball.
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso battles for the ball.

Tonight, the No. 11-ranked Virginia Cavaliers aim to secure their ninth consecutive win as they host the NC State Wolfpack.

The Hoos defeated the Woflacps 76-61 in Raleigh on January 3, and my NC State vs. Virginia predictions expect a similar outcome. 

Here are my top free college basketball picks for this ACC matchup on Tuesday, February 24.

NC State vs Virginia prediction

NC State vs Virginia best bet: Virginia 1H -3.5 (-110)

The Virginia Cavaliers are 13-1 at home, boasting an average first-half margin of +12.6. While the NC State Wolfpack are coming off a blowout win against an injury-depleted UNC squad, they had failed to cover in their previous four games.

NC State’s biggest strength is its perimeter shooting (39.6% 3PT), but UVA ranks 19th nationally in 3-point defense (30.1%).

Virginia also holds the advantage inside, with Thijs De Ridder averaging 15.9 points per game, while Johann Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso control the glass and protect the rim.

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NC State vs Virginia same-game parlay

Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (14.0 ppg) has finished with fewer than 12 points in four of his last six games. With UVA ranking sixth in the country in opponent effective field goal percentage (45.2%) and able to slow down foes, fade Copeland on his points total.

Dallin Hall has knocked down a triple in 18 of 27 games this season, and NC State sits outside the top 300 in threes allowed per game (8.9).

NC State vs Virginia SGP

  • Virginia 1H -3.5
  • Virginia -6.5
  • Quadir Copeland Under 14.5 points
  • Dallin Hall Over 0.5 threes

Our beyond the arc SGP: Back the Belgian

Freshman forward Thijs De Ridder leads UVA, averaging 15.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. If he can exploit NC State’s soft interior, the Hoosiers should cover both the full-game spread and the first-half line.

NC State vs Virginia SGP

  • Virginia 1H -3.5
  • Virginia -6.5
  • Quadir Copeland Under 14.5 points
  • Thijs De Ridder Over 14.5 points
  • Thijs De Ridder Over 6.5 rebounds

NC State vs Virginia odds

  • Spread: NC State +6.5 (-110) | Virginia -6.5 (-110)
  • Moneyline: NC State +220 | Virginia -270
  • Over/Under: Over 151 (-110) | Under 151 (-110)

NC State vs Virginia betting trend to know

The Hoos have covered the first half spread in 10 of their last 15 home games (+4.40 Units / 26% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for NC State vs. Virginia.

How to watch NC State vs Virginia

Location John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
Date Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Tip-off 7:00 p.m. ET
TV ESPN Unlimited

NC State vs Virginia key injuries

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Rohit Ponnaiya
Betting Analyst

With a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.

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