NC State vs UNC Prediction & Best Bets (ACC Tournament Championship): Will the Wolfpack Break Bubble Hearts?

Bubble teams around the country will be holding their collective breath tonight with two potential bid-stealers vying for conference championships. One of those potential bid-stealers is in the ACC, where NC State and North Carolina will meet for all the marbles tonight (8:30 pm ET, ESPN).

The tenth-seeded Wolfpack (21-14, 9-11 ACC) are looking to become the lowest seed to win the ACC title. Two years ago, seventh-seeded Virginia Tech upset Duke for the automatic bid, making the Hokies the lowest seed to do so to date.

NC State is in the tournament championship game for the first time since 2007 thanks to four wins in four days over #15 Louisville (94-85), #7 Syracuse (83-65), #2 Duke (74-69), and #3 Virginia (73-65). Last night, they erased a six-point deficit in the final 52 seconds to force overtime, then outscored the Cavaliers 9-0 over the final 2:02 of the extra period to pull off the stunning upset.

All that remains is taking down the rival Tar Heels, who are looking for their 19^th tournament championship in their first title game appearance since 2016. The tournament’s top seed throttled #9 seed Florida State 92-67 on Thursday, then repelled a strong effort by #4 Pittsburgh in a 72-65 win over the Panthers yesterday.

Will the Wolfpack pick a fine time to win their first ACC tourney crown since 1987? Or will the Tar Heels help a team in need (Indiana State? New Mexico? St. John’s? Seton Hall? Virginia?) get a ticket to the Big Dance? Read on.

NC State vs UNC Odds

Odds are via BetOnline, a longtime fixture in the sports betting industry. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then grab yourself a nice sign-up bonus to bet on today’s NCAA basketball action.

Spread

• NC State +10 (-105)
• UNC -10 (-115)

Over/Under

• Over 145 (-104)
• Under 145 (-116)

Moneyline

• NC State +430
• UNC -550

Looking for more men’s college hoops picks? Our NCAA basketball picks page features moneyline, spread, and total (over/under) picks for all of the top games each day.

NC State vs UNC Betting Analysis and Prediction

There have been some memorable upsets in this tournament over the years, including Virginia Tech’s stunning run two years ago.

A few of those shocks have come in the D.C. area. This year is the sixth time that the ACC Tournament has been held in the area, and two of the more memorable runs occurred in the previous five instances.

In 1976, sixth-seeded NC State defeated the tournament’s top three seeds (#3 NC State, #2 Maryland, and #1 UNC) to win the tournament.

In 1987, the sixth-seeded Wolfpack defeated #3 Duke, #7 Wake Forest, and #1 UNC to win the program’s most recent ACC championship.

If the Wolfpack can upend the Tar Heels tonight, it will be their first ACC title of any kind since winning the regular season crown in 1989, the penultimate season for the late Jim Valvano.

But will they? Entering the ACC Tournament, NC State was 2-10 SU and 4-7-1 ATS as an underdog this season. But they have reeled off wins over Syracuse (+1.5), Duke (+11), and Virginia (+2.5), looking nothing like the team that went 2-7 in its final nine regular season games and lost 10 of 14 after a 5-1 ACC start.

NC State actually led by eight at halftime and put in a respectable showing in a 79-70 loss in Chapel Hill two weeks ago, but it will take more than respectable for the Wolfpack to take down the Tar Heels.

After playing four games in four days, I don’t think they will have enough gas to finish their trek. The Tar Heels are not without their flaws, but they are on a different level than NC State or the four other teams that the Wolfpack beat in D.C.

Prediction: UNC to win and cover

NC State vs UNC Picks

UNC -10 & NC State/UNC over 145

But between NC State having to try to keep up while running on fumes and UNC being a significantly superior team, I think we’ll see a little more scoring in tonight’s matchup.

Other NCAA Basketball Betting Information

Where Can You Bet on NCAA Basketball?

Throughout the college basketball season, you can find NCAA basketball odds at the top online sports betting sites. That includes prominent names like BetDSI, BetOnline, BetUS, and Bovada.

Along with game odds, many sportsbooks offer men’s and women’s March Madness futures odds, Final Four odds, Wooden Award odds, and more.

If you are unfamiliar with any of these sites, check out our sportsbook reviews to learn more about them. Our reviews analyze available betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile and live betting, and the sportsbook sign-up bonuses and other promos offered.

• BetDSI Sportsbook Review
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• BetUS Sportsbook Review
• Bovada Sportsbook Review
• MyBookie Sportsbook Review

Interested in Learning More About Betting on NCAA Basketball?

If you are interested in learning more about betting on NCAA basketball, check out our college basketball betting guide. It covers the basics of wagering on the action from the Mountain West to the MAAC and beyond.

• College Basketball Betting Guide: How to Bet on NCAA Basketball in 2024

Also, check out our March Madness guide, and learn valuable March Madness betting tips, where you can find the best March Madness bracket challenges, who the Final Four favorites are, and much more.

• March Madness Guide

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