NC State vs Florida State Final Score Prediction for Tuesday, Feb. 27

The North Carolina State Wolfpack will try to hand the Florida State Seminoles their fifth loss in the last six games on Tuesday night.

The Wolfpack are coming off an 11-point home win over the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon. NC State forward DJ Burns was one of four players in double figures and scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field. 

Meanwhile, Florida State has struggled lately, losing four out of their last five games at home. The Seminoles suffered an 11-point road win defeat to the Clemson Tigers as they shot a woeful 36.9% from the field and 21.1% from three-point range.

The Seminoles are falling in the ACC standings, while the Wolfpack are trying to make one last push before conference tournament play begins next month. Below, we’ll break down this early week matchup and predict who will win between NC State and Florida State.

NC State vs Florida State Prediction & Preview

For the Wolfpack to make the NCAA tournament, they must show the committee they can defeat teams on the road. 

This season, NC State has been phenomenal at home (12-4) but lost three out of their last four road contests. The only road game Kevin Keatts’ crew won over that stretch was against Clemson on Feb. 17 (78-77).

As for the Seminoles, they’ve been slightly above average at home (8-7) and are 8-8 in the ACC this season. Florida State likely won’t make the big dance, barring a miracle, but they want to finish the regular season on a high note. 

After Tuesday night’s game against NC State, the Seminoles have three games remaining against Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Miami. 

Florida State only has three players scoring in double figures, with junior forward Jamir Watkins leading the charge at 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The Seminoles aren’t great from beyond the arc, shooting 31.8% from three-point range (13th in the ACC). 

At the same time, NC State doesn’t do a great job defending the three-point line, so something has to give in this matchup. However, we should expect the Wolfpack to dominate the Noles on the glass. NC State is averaging 35.5 rebounds per game (eighth in the ACC), while Florida St. is producing 33.7 boards per game (13th in the conference).

Both teams are averaging at least 76 points per game and giving up a fair amount on the defensive end. 

That being said, I don’t see the Wolfpack having trouble with the Seminoles on Tuesday night, if they can slow down Watkins, who is one of their best three-point shooters (35.1%).

Florida State recently had close losses to Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina, so the Wolfpack should not take them lightly. NC State fans might be sweating the first half, but I believe they’re the better all-around team. 

My final score prediction: North Carolina State 75 – Florida State 68