Arizona vs. N.C. State Pick
Can No. 2 Arizona cover a double-digit spread tonight when it takes on N.C. State in the Battle 4 Atlantis at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Arizona is favored in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -14 points against N.C. State. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 159 points. Tonight’s game takes place from Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas. The contest will air live on ESPN3.
Arizona is off to a 3-0 start to the season following a 91-59 win over Cal-State Bakersfield last week. The Wildcats are 1-1-1 against the spread, but tonight’s game is the smallest spread it has had to cover. Arizona is averaging 98.3 points per game thus far while giving up 68 points per contest. Allonzo Trier is off to as good of a start as anyone in the nation, averaging 30 points per game through three games while shooting 70 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from 3-point land. Deandre Ayton is adding 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
N.C. State is off to a 4-0 start to the season, but the Wolfpack is just 1-0 against the spread as it has only had a line in its opener with the Virginia Military Institute. N.C. State is putting up 90.2 points per game this season while allowing 65.8 per game. The Wolfpack are being led by Torin Dorn, who is averaging 18.5 points and 7 rebounds per game while Markell Johnson is posting 11.5 points and 9 assists per contest.
Arizona has won its last two meetings with N.C. State and the two have split the spread in those two meetings. The Wildcats have covered in their last 6 games against ACC opponents and they are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven neutral-site games. N.C. State has failed to cover in nine of its last 10 against a team with a winning record. The public betting is strongly with Arizona tonight. I agree, as the Wildcats have a dominant player with some nice supplemental pieces. N.C. State won’t be able to keep pace with Arizona’s hot shooting.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: ARIZONA -14