North Carolina State Wolfpack vs Connecticut Huskies Prediction, 12/5/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: NC State Wolfpack vs Connecticut Huskies

Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020

Location: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: North Carolina State (-1.5)

The Connecticut Huskies (3-0) host the NC State Wolfpack (3-0) at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday. North Carolina State opens this contest as 1.5-point favorites. The total is set at 144.5.

North Carolina State comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 3-0 this season. They are turning it over 9.7 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 17.3 fouls per game. As a team, North Carolina State is collecting 33.3 boards per game and is sitting with 53 dimes for the season, which ranks 52nd in the nation in terms of passing. The Wolfpack are shooting 44.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (31 of 69) and 65.4% from the free throw line. They average 90.3 points per contest (30th in D-1) while going 53.4% from the floor. On the defensive end, the Wolfpack are able to force 23.3 turnovers every game while drawing 18.0 personal fouls. The Wolfpack defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 41.2% (63 of 153) and they surrender 33.7 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are ranked 123rd in D-1 in allowing assists with 30 relinquished on the season. They are giving up 34.1% on 3-point shots and they rank 28th in D-1 in points per game allowed (57.0).

The NC State Wolfpack faced off with the UMass Lowell River Hawks and took home the win by a score of 90-59 in their last contest. North Carolina State finished the contest having earned a 52.3% field goal percentage (34 of 65) and made 12 of 28 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Wolfpack buried 10 of 18 shots for a percentage of 55.6%. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 32 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 18 assists for this contest while getting 9 steals and 3 blocked shots. In terms of defense, North Carolina State allowed their opponent to shoot 52.3% from the floor on 34 of 65. UMass Lowell totaled 11 dimes and 5 steals for this game. In addition, the River Hawks collected 34 rebounds (11 offensive, 23 defensive) and had 3 blocked shots. UMass Lowell finished 60.9% from the free throw line by converting 14 of 23 shots. They made 3 of their 15 shots from 3-point range.

Devon Daniels is one guy who was important for this contest. He notched 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He played for 27 minutes and also collected 4 boards. Daniels finished 53.8% from the floor and distributed 2 dimes. Someone else that was a determining factor in this contest for the Wolfpack was Jericole Hellems. He snagged 5 boards and accounted for 5 assists. He shot 66.7% from the floor for this game by connecting on 6-of-9 (17 points). Overall, Hellems was on the hardwood for 25 min.

Connecticut has a mark of 3-0 this year. Connecticut has accounted for 232 pts for the season (77.3 per contest) and they average 42.3 rebounds per game. The Huskies have committed 22.0 fouls per contest while shooting 71.4% from the free throw line. When it comes to offense, the Huskies are hitting on 45.7% from the field, which is 181st in the nation. They are assisting teammates 14.3 times per contest (118th in the nation) and they cough up possession 12.7 times per contest. The Huskies on the defensive end are ranked 77th in the country in points given up per game with 63.3. They concede 6.3 assists and 30.0 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 11th and 32nd in college hoops. The Connecticut defense allows 29.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (15 of 51) and opponents are connecting on 74.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They are forcing their opponents into 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.4% from the floor (96th in D-1).

The last time they took the court, the Connecticut Huskies got the victory with a final of 61-58 when they played the USC Trojans. The Huskies pulled down 25 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards totaling 39 for the contest. They also blocked 6 attempts while earning 3 steals in this game. The Trojans were called for 16 personal fouls in the game which took the Huskies to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to convert 16 of those for a percentage of 80.0%. When talking about 3-point shots, Connecticut made 7 of 19 tries (36.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Huskies finished the game shooting 19 for 55 from the field which had them at 34.5%. The Huskies permitted the Trojans to knock down 19 out of their 53 tries from the floor which left them shooting 35.8% for this game. They shot 15.8% from three-point range by going 3 of 19 and finished the contest at 17 of 21 at the free throw line (81.0%). In reference to cleaning up the glass, Connecticut permitted USC to get 28 in total (7 offensive).

Isaiah Whaley saw a lot of time on the hardwood for the Huskies for the matchup. He made 4 out of 10 in this contest giving him a rate of 40.0%, which earned him 10 points. Whaley pulled down 5 rebounds in his 36 minutes played and accounted for 2 dimes for the contest. One more player who was a determining factor for Connecticut was James Bouknight. He finished with 18 points in his 33 minutes played by way of 5 out of 15 shooting for the matchup. Bouknight ended up shooting 33.3% from the floor and also collecting 2 assists and 7 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take North Carolina State (-1.5)

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