UNC vs. NC State CBB Odds, Predictions, Picks for Tuesday, February 17

The UNC Tar Heels and NC State Wolfpack renew their ACC rivalry on the college basketball hardwood tonight. Tipoff from Raleigh is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

North Carolina (20-5 SU, 14-11 ATS) will again be without star forward Caleb Wilson, who broke his hand last week against Miami. UNC fared just fine without Wilson and Henri Veesaar (illness) against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Without their two leading scorers, the Tar Heels crushed Pitt, 79-65.

Veesaar’s status is questionable for tonight’s game against NC State (18-8 SU, 14-11-1 ATS). The Wolfpack will try and snap a two-game losing streak. DraftKings is dealing NC State as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 157.5 as of publication.

Best Bet UNC vs. NC State: Against the Spread

UNC used a well-balanced offensive attack to compensate for the loss of Wilson and Veesaar against Pitt. The Tar Heels, who led the game throughout, had four players finish with double figures in scoring:

• Seth Trimble (19)
• Jarin Stevenson (19)
• Zayden High (15)
• Luka Bogavac (15)

The Tar Heels will need to replicate that type of performance tonight to keep this game close. UNC also needs to do a better job defending the perimeter against an NC State offense that boasts the sixth-best 3-point percentage in the country at 39.4%. The Tar Heels rank last in the ACC in 3-point defense, allowing 40.3% of those shots to fall.

While UNC is 15-0 at home, the Tar Heels are just 3-4 in road games. NC State is paced offensively by Darrion Williams (14.2 ppg), Quadir Copeland (13.8 ppg), and Ven-Allen Lubin (13.7 ppg). Lubin, who transferred from UNC for more playing time at NC State, has an eye-popping 68.4% FG conversion rate.

Copeland is the creator of NC State’s offense, which favors an up-tempo approach. Look for him to drive and distribute to Williams on the perimeter and Lubin, who may have an incredible advantage down low if Veesaar is also out for UNC.

That’s a critical factor, and this pick is predicated on the big man playing tonight. FanDuel offered a better number than DraftKings at the time of publication.

Pick: UNC +7.5 (-118 at FanDuel)

Best Player Prop for UNC Tar Heels

Seth Trimble UNDER 15.5 Points (-102 at FanDuel)

Watching Trimble court-side at the Dean Dome on Saturday, he appeared to be a man possessed. The problem is he’s up and down when it comes to scoring. He was limited to four points in the previous game, a 75-66 loss against Miami.

Trimble has also struggled in three career starts at NC State. He also finished with four points in his last start at the Lenovo Center in February 2025.

Best Player Prop for NC State Wolfpack

Ven-Allen Lubin OVER 14.5 Points (-102 at FanDuel)

This game sets up perfectly for Lubin, especially if Veesaar is out or not playing at full strength. Lubin ranks second nationally in FG% (68.4%). Only Navy center Aidan Kehoe is better at 74.1%.

Without Wilson and potentially Veesaar to deal with in the paint, Lubin could have a field day against his former team. There won’t be any lack of motivation for him tonight, either.