In-state rivalries are one of the most celebrated aspects of college basketball and state of North Carolina is arguably the best in the nation when it comes to high-profile grudge matches. On Wednesday, the UNC Tar Heels will host the North Carolina State Wolfpack for the 249th meeting in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1913. The Tar Heels are 15-11 on the season and 8-6 in the ACC while NC State is 10-15 overall and 3-11 in conference play.
Tipoff from the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., is at 7 p.m. ET and UNC has won six in a row at home over North Carolina State. The Tar Heels are 9.5-point favorite in the latest North Carolina vs. NC State odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 146.5. Before making any NC State vs. North Carolina picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 16 of the 2024-25 season on a 213-158 betting roll (+1675) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on North Carolina vs. NC State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for NC State vs. UNC:
After earning a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels are at risk of missing the tourney for the second time in three years since Hubert Davis took the reins at North Carolina. However, UNC is coming off an 88-82 win over Syracuse on Saturday to move up to sixth in the conference standings and CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm currently lists the Tar Heels as one of his “last four out.”
Ian Jackson led North Carolina with 23 points off the bench in the win over the Orange and Jae’lyn Withers chipped in 19 points and six rebounds while RJ Davis had 16 points and six assists. The Tar Heels have won seven of their last eight at home and can’t afford to waste opportunities to add wins at this stage of the season given their bubble status. See which team to pick here.
Meanwhile, NC State ended a nine-game winning streak with a 70-62 victory over Boston College on Saturday. Jayden Taylor led the team with 19 points in the victory and the Wolfpack took full advantage of a 16-5 edge in the turnover column. Despite their overall struggles this season, they’re averaging a +3.5 turnover margin per game.
North Carolina has won seven of the last 10 in this rivalry but NC State has covered the spread in four of its last five head-to-head meetings with the Tar Heels. The Wolfpack also won as 10-point underdogs over their bitter rivals in last season’s ACC Tournament Championship to steal an NCAA Tournament bid. See which team to pick here.
SportsLine’s model is going over on the total, projecting 148 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins NC State vs. North Carolina, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $1,600 on its college basketball picks dating back to 2023, and find out.
:quality(70):focal(1001x444:1011x454)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/VBJH6DV3HFG2FM4NGW54UYZEBA.jpg "Grace under pressure: Reed-Custer rallies to top JCA for girls basketball regional title")
