2/14/2023 basketball Edit

Syracuse Orange v. NC State Wolfpack Prediction & Preview (2/14/23)

Feb 8, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Syracuse Orange center Jesse Edwards (14) and forward Maliq Brown (1) pressure Florida State Seminoles guard Cameron Corhen (3) during the first half at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports (Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports)

Jim Stechschulte • The Juice Online

Associate Editor/Columnist

Syracuse (15-10, 8-6 ACC) welcome No. 22 North Carolina State to the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (TV: ACC Network). The Wolfpack (20-6, 10-5) have won nine of their last 11 contests after they routed Boston College 92-62 over the weekend in the second of their three-game road trip.

Scouting North Carolina State

Terquavion Smith paces the high-powered N.C. State attack, which averages 78.4 points per game, just behind Miami in the conference rankings. Smith stands second in the ACC in scoring at 18.5 points per game and also leads the ‘Pack with 4.6 assists and 2.9 three-pointers per game. In the win over the Eagles, Smith passed 1,000 career points in an otherwise unremarkable win.

NC State has three other players averaging double figures in scoring in Jarkel Joiner (15.8 pts/game), Casey Morsell (12.8), and D.J. Burns, Jr. (11.9). Morsell should also be a marked man by the Orange defense, as he has made 62 threes on the season while shooting 44.0 percent beyond the arc.

The Wolfpack do a very good job controlling the ball, as they are third in the conference in turnovers while forcing the most miscues by their opponents. As a result, they lead the ACC with a +3.80 turnover margin.

Prediction

This is a Q2 game with NC State ranked 36th (a Q1 win is awarded to a home win against a 1-30 team), and one that Syracuse will need if it wants to keep its long shot at an NCAA bid alive. NC State is currently 41st in the KenPom rankings, which is in line with its offense (41) and defensive (54) rankings. Meanwhile, Syracuse comes in 88th, and of note, it is struggling in its defensive efficiency (120).

As a team, the Wolfpack shoot 35.7 from downtown, with four rotational players shooting at 34 percent or higher, including Smith (34.4 percent). DJ Burns is a hulking 6-foot-9, 275-pound bruiser that can bother Jesse Edwards down low. NC State is a slight favorite in this matchup, with the ESPN matchup predictor giving a 54.4 percent chance. That seems right, as we predict a 72-67 win for NC State.

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