7:02 pm
December 19

#7 Auburn @ NC State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#7 Auburn Tigers (9-1)

@ North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-1)

 

Current odds:

Auburn Tigers: (-125)

North Carolina State Wolfpack: (+105)

 

• The line for this game is Auburn by 1.5 points.

• North Carolina State will put its undefeated home record on the line when it hosts a tough SEC opponent in Auburn on Wednesday evening. The seventh-ranked Tigers come in winners of five in a row, while the Wolfpack have won three straight following their first loss of the season on Nov. 27. Auburn faced a stiff in-state battle against UAB on Saturday but prevailed, thanks in large part to Jared Harper, for the 75-71 overtime win. The junior guard scored a career-high 31, including 23 of his team’s last 30 points, as the Tigers escaped Birmingham, Ala., with the win.

• NC State took over late on Saturday against Penn State in Atlantic City, using a 25-8 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 16-point lead late in the second half. Sophomore guard Braxton Beverly led the Wolfpack with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting while adding three rebounds and five assists.

• “We’ve got Jared Harper and they don’t. That happens a lot of the time against a lot of people,” coach Bruce Pearl told reporters after the UAB game. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 16.9 points, while his 6.4 assists per game rank second in the SEC. Sophomore forward Chuma Okeke was the only other Auburn player to reach double figures against UAB, scoring 11 points to go along with six rebounds.

• Beverly led a balanced attack against Penn State that saw five Wolfpack players hit double figures. C.J. Bryce added an efficient 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, while Torin Dorn chipped in with 15 and Markell Johnson and DJ Funderburk scored 13 and 12 off the bench, respectively. NC State will be looking to take better care of the ball against Auburn after giving it away 17 times on Saturday while only forcing 14 turnovers.

• Harper went 15-of-16 from the free-throw line against UAB and is shooting 92.3 percent from the stripe for the season.

• Tigers F Danjel Purifoy tallied two points, a rebound and a steal against the Blazers across seven minutes in what was his first game since March 8, 2017, due to suspension and eligibility concerns.

• NC State leads the ACC and ranks fourth in the nation in shooting percentage at 51.5.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#7 Auburn Tigers
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