NC State v. Penn State

Who will WIN this matchup?

North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-1)

Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4)

Current odds:

North Carolina State Wolfpack: (-180)

Penn State Nittany Lions: (+160)

• The line for this game is North Carolina State by 4 points.

• North Carolina State’s one blemish was a loss to a Big Ten team, a fate it will try to avoid when it meets Penn State on Saturday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Boardwalk Classic at Atlantic City, N.J. The Wolfpack fell at No. 19 Wisconsin by a 79-75 margin on Nov. 27, but they’ve rebounded with consecutive comfortable victories over Vanderbilt and Western Carolina. Devon Daniels scored a season-high 21 points in 23 minutes in the 100-67 win over the Catamounts on Dec. 5, as N.C. State reached the century mark for the third time this season.

• The Nittany Lions, who topped No. 13 Virginia Tech in their one game against an ACC opponent this season, snapped a two-game slide with a 76-65 win over Colgate their last time out. Freshman Rasir Bolton scored a career-high 27 points while making 7-of-9 from 3-point range and all six of his free throws in the triumph.

• Senior guard Torin Dorn leads the Wolfpack in scoring (16.1), rebounding (7.2) and steals (2.0) while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. Juniors C.J. Bryce (12.3) and Markell Johnson (12.2) are the team’s other two double-digit scorers and also make more than half their shots for a team that entered Friday ranked 12th nationally at 50.6 percent from the field. Sophomore forward DJ Funderburk is averaging 12 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes over the last two games and shooting 64.1 percent on the season.

• Bolton shot 1-for-16 from the floor over a two-game span in the middle of November, but he’s scored in double figures in all five games since then while making 15-of-31 from behind the 3-point arc. “Rasir is really just an amazing shooter, and we know that he can always get hot,” senior guard Josh Reaves told reporters following the win over Colgate. “Our mentality on offense was to keep getting him the ball.” Junior big man Mike Watkins made his first start of the season an impactful one in that victory by producing 18 points and 16 rebounds for his 21st career double-double.

• Nittany Lions F Lamar Stevens leads the team in scoring with 20.1 points per game but has been held under 20 four times in a row.

• Wolfpack G Braxton Beverly is 9-of-42 from the floor over a six-game span.

• N.C. State owns a 17-3 series advantage, including a 85-78 victory last season.