North Carolina State vs. Creighton Preview & Pick

North Carolina State (23-10 SU 14-17 ATS) vs. Creighton (21-12 SU 16-17 ATS)
When: Friday, March 17th: 4:00 ET
Where: Ball Arena Denver, CO
TV: TNT
Point Spread: NCST +5/CU -5
Total: 148.0
Money Line: North Carolina State Wolfpack +180/Creighton Bluejays -223

On Friday, March 17th at 4:00 ET, North Carolina State Wolfpack (23-10 SU, 14-17 ATS) will take on the Creighton Bluejays (21-12 SU, 16-17 ATS) at Ball Arena Denver, CO. The game will be broadcasted on TNT, and the current point spread favors Creighton by five points while the total line is offered up at 148.0. The money line odds currently stand at North Carolina State +180/Creighton -223.

Line Movement

The spread has moved around a bit but opened at most sportsbooks at Creighton -5 and landed back at that number. Some shops are hanging a -5.5, so if you decide to back NC State, make sure you shop around.

Last Game Info

North Carolina State most recently fell to Clemson (80-54). Not only did the Wolfpack lose straight-up, but they picked up an ATS defeat as +1 point underdogs. The combined 134 points did not surpass the 148.5 total line.

Going into their last game, Creighton was the betting favorite at -3.5 but fell to Xavier by a score of 82-60. The combined 142 points did not surpass the 153.5 total line.

Current Form

North Carolina State
Over their last five games, North Carolina State has a straight-up record of 2-3 while going 3-2 vs. the spread. Over this stretch, the Wolfpack offense is averaging 75.8 points per game while hitting 47.0% of their shots from the field. On the defensive end of the floor, they have allowed opponents to shoot 50.3% from the field while allowing 79.6 points per contest.

Creighton
In their previous five contests, Creighton is 3-2 straight-up and 3-2 vs. the spread. In these five games, they have a scoring average of 79.4 points per game on a shooting percentage of 46.3%. Defensively, they are allowing teams to hit 42.2% of their shots while giving up 72.8 points per game.

Strength of Schedule

This season, the combined power rating of North Carolina State’s SOS comes in at 65. On the other side, Creighton’s combined SOS sits at 36.

How Does North Carolina State Fare On Neutral Courts?

On neutral courts, the Wolfpack put together a mark of 4-2 this season.

How Does Creighton Fare On Neutral Courts?

This season, the Bluejays are 3-4 in games on neutral courts.

Offense vs. Defense

For the season, North Carolina State is averaging 73.0 points per game (146th) while posting an overall field goal percentage of 41.2%. In today’s game, they will be matched up against a Creighton defense that has allowed an average of 68.5 points per contest. This year, opponents have hit 42.3% of their shots vs. Creighton. On the other side, the Creighton Bluejays are coming into the game averaging 69.0 points per game on a shooting percentage of 45.0%. The Bluejays will be facing a defensive unit allowing an average of 70.8 points per contest. So far, teams have hit 44.6% of their shots vs. the Wolfpack.

Three-Point Shooting

From beyond the arc, North Carolina State has a shooting percentage of 34.0% while ranking 221st in attempts per game. The Wolfpack will be facing a Creighton defense that has a 3-point field goal shooting percentage allowed of 34.7%. Creighton enters the game having hit 30.7% of their looks from deep while averaging 6.7 made 3’s per game. On the other end, North Carolina State has allowed opponents to hit 31.9% of their shots from beyond the arc.

Injuries Of Note

North Carolina State

• Greg Gantt (Questionable) Knee
• Dusan Mahorcic (Out) Knee

Creighton

• John Christofilis (Out) Redshirt
• Jasen Green (Out) Redshirt

Pick Against The Spread

I’m going with the public on this one and laying the points and backing Creighton. The Bluejays won three straight games before falling to the Musketeers in their conference playoffs. The Wolfpack come in cold losers of three of their last four, with the lone win coming against the underwhelming Hokies. Statistically, Creighton really stands out here. While they have a slightly lower scoring average, they do have a better scoring margin of +8.2 compared to NC State’s +7.4. They also have a considerable edge in assists with 15.9 per game versus 13 and shooting efficiency 24th vs. 154th. Defensively the hold the edge in effective FG%, two-point percentage, and points per game. Take Creighton -5