NC State vs Purdue Prediction College Basketball Picks 4/6/24

The NC State Wolfpack and the Purdue Boilermakers meet Saturday in NCAA Tournament Final Four college basketball action from University of Phoenix Stadium. Here’s an NC State vs Purdue prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. We will examine:

• The NC State Wolfpack recent form and player performance

• The Purdue Boilermakers recent form and player performance

• Recent betting trends and streaks involving NC State

• Recent betting trends and streaks involving Purdue

• Recent betting trends in games played between NC State and Purdue

• A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the NC State vs Purdue game

NC State Wolfpack Betting Preview

The Wolfpack didn’t have the greatest year in the win/loss columns, but to their credit they’ve turned on the jets in tournament play. NC State managed a 13-4 run to start out their campaign, then closed the regular season with a rough 4-10 run. In the conference tournament the Wolfpack toppled Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina. Since then it’s been wins over Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette and Duke again in the NCAA Tournament.

Matched up against rival Duke in the Elite Eight game on Sunday, the Wolfpack faced a 27-21 deficit going into the second half. NC State woke up after the break on a 55-37 run for an epic comeback win 76-64. Tops in scoring was DJ Burns with his 29 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview

Over on the Purdue side, they were quite the juggernaut in the regular season and managed to avoid losing consecutive games. The Boilermakers would take out Michigan State in the conference tourney, then took a tough 76-75 loss to Wisconsin in OT on March 16. Purdue has since recovered with wins over Grambling, Utah State, Gonzaga and Tennessee in the national tournament.

In their Sunday matchup with the Volunteers, the Boilermakers held a slim two-point lead in the locker room. Purdue held off Tennessee in the second half with a 36-32 run and took the win 72-66 in the end. Top team scorer Zach Edey finished with a double-double on 40 points and 16 rebounds.

Purdue Boilermakers Team Facts

• Purdue has won each of its last 17 day games against non-Conference opponents.
• Five of Purdue’s last six games against the Atlantic Coast Conference have produced a total of 148+ points.
• Purdue has won the first half in each of its last seven games against non-Conference opponents.

NC State Wolfpack Team Facts

• NC State has won each of its last nine games.
• Seven of NC State’s last eight games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 147+ points.
• NC State has won the first half in each of its last 15 Saturday day games against non-Conference opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for three-point percentage this season (41.1%).
• Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for rebound percentage this season (57.9%).
• NC State ranks 14th among Division 1 teams for turnover percentage this season (12.1%).
• NC State ranks T17th among Division 1 teams for turnovers per game this season (9.6).

NC State vs Purdue Prediction

I’ll take a stab on NC State here. The Wolfpack are a feisty team and have won plenty of new fans with their heroic efforts in tournament play. There’s plenty to clean up after the win over Duke, however. In that victory versus the Blue Devils, NC State shot a solid 46.7 percent form the field with 39 rebounds and just five turnovers. The Wolfpack also posted a rough 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) from 3-point range though, and missed six of their 23 free throws (73.9 percent). NC State will need to get some quality looks from outside in this one, as they’ll likely have to step on the gas offensively in order to keep up with Purdue. The good news is that the Wolfpack have scored 73 or more points in eight of the nine games of this current win streak. The winner of this game will take on UConn or Alabama in the Championship game.

As for Purdue, they weren’t exactly great from outside (20 percent) or the line (63.6 percent) in their win over Tennessee. The 47-26 rebounding edge (13-6 offensive) certainly helped though, as did the 45.3 percent shooting from the field. The Boilermakers have held opponents to fewer than 69 points in all four games of the NCAA Tournament, so they’ll be tough to crack when they’re on defense. I think the Wolfpack can pull it off if all goes well, though. Should be a fun game to watch regardless.

Andrew Jett's Pick: NC State Wolfpack +9