NC State vs Furman: ACC Basketball Pick of the Day
Gameday Info:
Tipoff: 6:30 PM ET
TV: ACC Network
Spread: NC State -6.5
Total: 153.5
READ: ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 5
Furman Team Overview:
Record: 7-3
KenPom Ranking: 43rd in Offensive Efficiency, 157 in Defensive Efficiency
Entering the sixth year of the Bob Richey era of Furman basketball, the Paladins are poised to make their run at a SoCon title. Richey has led his group to a winning record in league play every season in Greenville, yet they have still never won the conference tournament and secured the elusive automatic bid. Last year was probably Richey’s best team, but a heartbreaking buzzer beater in the title game from half-court courtesy of Chattanooga ended their season.
The 2022-23 Paladins have a similar makeup to last year’s group, with elite offense and subpar defense. The squad is led by fifth year seniors Mike Bothwell 20.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.6 apg) and Jalen Slawson (15.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.9 apg). NC State is the toughest test left on their regular season schedule, so Furman should be juiced up to compete Tuesday night.
The Paladins are relatively undersized, but that matters less with NC State’s starting big man Dusan Mahorcic out indefinitely. This matchup will likely come down to how well Furman can defend NC State's guards on the perimeter. Bothwell and Slawson are really good players and they shouldn't have trouble scoring force, but this team will need to defend at a high level to have a chance to win.
Also of note; former 4-star Wake Forest commit, Carter Whitt transferred to Furman this summer. Whitt is averaging 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 12.4 minutes per game.
READ: Four ACC teams highlight AP men's college basketball poll
NC State Team Overview:
Record: 8-3
KenPom Ranking: 45th in Offensive Efficiency, 74th in Defensive Efficiency
Kevin Keatts has been on the hot seat in Raleigh over the past couple of years. In a potentially make or break season, Keatts has assembled a quality roster that has a shot at being an NCAA tournament team.
The Wolfpack are a perimeter-oriented group that take a lot of threess and rely on their backcourt for the bulk of their scoring. Potential first round NBA pick Terquavion Smith (17.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.5 apg) is the leader of this team, while Jarkel Joiner (17.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg) and Casey Morsell (12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg) compliment him with additional playmaking and floor spacing ability.
Mahorcic’s injury is a major blow for the Wolfpack, as he would have been able to provide the team with much-needed size against this smaller Furman basketball team. An X-Factor for NC State will be the play of DJ Burns, the 6-9 275 lb bruiser who has been starting in place of Mahorcic. He is a very skilled offensive player, but he’s a bit of a liability defensively because of his conditioning and lack of quickness. The senior did log a career high 31 minutes last time out. Ultimately, NC State should be able to take care of business as long as they keep Slawson and Bothwell in check.
The Pick: NC State -6.5
Furman is very talented for a mid-major, but considering their poor defensive metrics I'm confident that the State guards will find plenty of success at home. If Keatts can find the right matchups to neutralize Furman's main scorers, I don't think the Paladins have enough to keep up with the Pack. The Wolfpack need to take care of business at home Tuesday night, and with a little fire under them after blowing a second half double-digit lead in Miami on Saturday I'm willing to lay the points.
Score Prediction - NC State 82, Furman 71
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Jack is a contributing basketball writer at Deacons Daily