SMU Mustangs vs North Carolina State Wolfpack Prediction, 1/25/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs NC State Wolfpack

Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025

Location: Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC

TV: ESPN+

The SMU Mustangs (14-5) are on their way to Lenovo Center on Saturday where they will go up against the NC State Wolfpack (9-9).

The SMU Mustangs stepped onto the hardwood against Louisville and ended up losing by a score of 98-73 in their last game. SMU ended the contest with a 40.4% field goal percentage (23 of 57) and converted 6 of their 18 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Mustangs made 21 of 24 attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 27 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 13 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With respect to defending, SMU allowed their opponent to shoot 46.3% from the floor on 31 out of 67 shooting. Louisville earned 27 assists and had 3 steals for the game. Furthermore, Louisville totaled 34 rebounds (12 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Louisville finished 89.5% from the charity stripe by burying 17 of 19 shots. They also converted 19 of their 42 attempts from distance. When it comes to personal fouls, the Mustangs ended up with 19 while Louisville recorded 21 personal fouls.

Matt Cross is one player who was a factor in the game. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the floor and also totaled 2 dimes. He played for 33 mins played and totaled 8 rebounds. He accumulated 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

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SMU comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 14-5 for the campaign. They lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest and as a team they commit 16.8 fouls per game. As a unit, SMU is collecting 39.9 rebounds per game and has earned 313 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 40th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Mustangs are shooting 38.3% on shots from 3-point land (156 of 407) and 73.2% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 84.2 points per contest (20th in the country) while hitting 48.2% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Mustangs are able to force 12.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.5 fouls. They are currently ranked 324th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 293 conceded so far this season. The Mustangs are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.5% (473 of 1,139) and they relinquish 32.9 boards per game as a unit. They give up 35.2% on shots from distance and they are ranked 232nd in college in opponents PPG (72.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the NC State Wolfpack walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 65-62 against California. In regard to cleaning the glass, North Carolina State allowed California to grab 33 in all (10 offensive). They went 37.5% from 3-point land by hitting 6 of 16 and finished the contest at 11 out of 17 from the charity stripe (64.7%). The Wolfpack permitted California to knock down 24 out of their 53 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 45.3% in the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Wolfpack finished 26 for 60 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.3%. When talking about shooting from downtown, North Carolina State made 1 out of their 10 attempts (10.0%). They were able to convert 9 of those for a percentage of 64.3%. California earned 13 personal fouls in the game which took the Wolfpack to the free throw line for 14 attempts. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while recording 6 steals in this game. The Wolfpack were able to snag 20 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for this contest.

Jayden Taylor was important for the Wolfpack for this game. He converted 7 out of 13 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and had 5 rebounds. He accumulated 18 points in his 34 mins of playing time, but finished this game without an assist.

North Carolina State has a record of 9-9 for the year. The Wolfpack commit 16.3 fouls every game and they go 70.4% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 12.8 times per contest (262nd in college hoops) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.5 times per contest. North Carolina State has scored 1,287 points on the season (71.5 per game) and they average 32.4 boards per game. As an offense, the Wolfpack are shooting 45.3% from the floor, which is 160th in college.

The Wolfpack on defense are ranked 66th in college in PPG allowed with 67.3. They are able to force 13.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.1% from the field (229th in college hoops). The North Carolina State defense concedes 32.8% on 3-pointers (114 of 348) and opponents are converting on 73.7% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 12.1 dimes and 35.2 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 99th and 231st in the nation.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Carolina State

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