NC State vs. Louisville Final Score Prediction for Tuesday, Mar. 12
ACC Tournament kicks off with an easy matchup for NC State in the first round.
By Cem Yolbulan
The 2024 ACC Tournament is upon us as 15 teams descend upon Washington, DC to battle it out to take home the conference trophy. While Duke and North Carolina have byes until the quarterfinals and Wake Forest until the second round, the North Carolina State Wolfpack have to start their journey in the first round on Tuesday after completely falling apart in the final two weeks of the season.
As the ten-seed in the tournament, NC State (9-11) will take on Louisville (3-17), who has been struggling to be competitive all season. It is a good opportunity for the Wolfpack to get back on track and make a deep run in the ACC tourney to give their fans something to cheer for in this disappointing season.
NC State vs. Louisville Prediction & Preview
The Louisville Cardinals have lost seven straight to finish out the season. In the only game between the two teams this season, Louisville lost to NC State at home 89-83. Star guard D.J. Horne scored 27 points on 9/14 shooting from the field in that game as the Wolfpack overcame significant foul trouble and turnover issues.
NC State's defense has taken a significant step back as the season went on, falling outside the top 100 in the country in Ken Pom Ratings. Fortunately for them, they are playing a Louisville side that lacks any firepower.
The Cardinals scored more than 65 points only once in their last six games. They are one of the worst-shooting teams in the country, making less than 30% of their threes and only making 5.3 threes per game, the worst margins in the ACC by a mile.
The Wolfpack is more talented up and down the roster. They have more scoring punch across all positions, making it hard to see how Louisville keeps up with them.
My final score prediction: NC State 79 - Louisville 65
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