Best Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh Betting Picks & Predictions for Tuesday, Feb. 20
By Joe Summers
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (16-9) get a chance for revenge as they host the Pittsburgh Panthers (17-8) at 9:00 PM CST Tuesday night after losing by five to the Panthers on the road last month.
These squads are tied for fourth in the ACC standings, making this a huge matchup between these conference rivals. Wake Forest enters on a two-game losing streak though possesses a perfect 13-0 record at home, while Pittsburgh has five straight wins as perhaps the hottest team in the conference.
The Demon Deacons are solid favorites despite the Panthers' strong stretch of play. Can Wake Forest cover the spread and keep that home record unblemished? Let's jump into the odds before I give my best bet for the game.
Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh Odds, Spread and Total
Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh Best Bet and Prediction
Wake Forest is a 5.5-point favorite with -250 odds on the moneyline and a total set at 145.5. These are two high-quality teams that can make some noise in the NCAA Tournament with star players on both sides capable of catching fire in a hurry.
While the Demon Deacons are undefeated at home, the Panthers are 5-1 in their last six road games and Blake Hinson is coming off a 41-point explosion as one of the best players in the country. Thus, I'm fearful of the spread and will instead trust these offenses by looking at the total.
Both of these teams rank in the top 85 nationally in turnover rate, top 100 in three-point shooting rate and top 115 in three-point shooting percentage. Each team protects the ball well and fires up three-pointers quickly and effectively. That's a recipe for an over, and we've seen evidence of that in recent trends as well.
The over is 7-1 in Wake Forest's last eight home games with the Demon Deacons averaging over 86 points per game in that stretch. It's 6-1-1 in the previous eight matchups between these teams as well. Given the efficiency these offenses play with, I foresee another high-scoring affair.
Take the over and get set for what should be a thrilling ACC matchup.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.