Game predictions: NC State basketball vs Syracuse

NC State Wolfpack basketball continues ACC play Tuesday night against Syracuse at 6:30 p.m.on ACC Network.

The Wolfpack (8-7, 4-6 ACC) will look to even the season series with the Orange (10-6, 4-5), who won the first meeting 76-73 in the Carrier Dome nine days ago on Jan. 31.

The Pack is coming off of an 81-65 road win over Boston College Saturday, and Syracuse lost to Clemson 78-61 in Littlejohn Coliseum in its last contest on Saturday.

Here are The Wolfpacker staff's game predictions for State's matchup second matchup of the season with the Orange:

NC State let one slip in the Carrier Dome nine days ago.

The Wolfpack led for 22 minutes and played its best half of basketball this season, taking a 47-38 lead into the locker room at halftime only to later fall 76-73 to the Orange.

A victory two Sundays ago would have given the Pack a much-needed "Quad I" win. Now the Pack is in a position where it has to win most, if not all of its remaining regular-season games to get back into the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation.

If State can maintain the intensity it's played with over the last four games, a strong run down the stretch isn't out of the equation. For that to happen, however, the Wolfpack will need to even the season series with the Orange tonight.

NC State's new identity since Devon Daniels' injury seems to be working so far. The Pack has relied on its frontcourt for a bulk of its scoring production in Daniels' absence, a smart move considering that's where the experience on this roster is now.

Junior forward Jericole Hellems, redshirt sophomore center Manny Bates and fifth-year senior forward DJ Funderburk have scored a combined 121 points on 47-of-83 shooting (56.6 percent) in the last three contests. During that three-game stretch, the Wolfpack has outrebounded and outscored its opponent in the paint in each matchup.

NC State will need to hit its jumpers against the Syracuse zone tonight to come away with a win. The Pack shot 56.7 percent from the field in the first half of the first meeting but made just 32.3 percent of its field goal attempts in the second half.

Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts said after the 81-65 road victory over Boston College that he needs at least one of his guards to have a strong scoring performance on any given night to win games down the stretch. Freshman guard Shakeel Moore was that guy Saturday, scoring a career-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a 3-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.

Can Moore pick up where he left off in Chestnut Hill? Can redshirt junior guard Thomas Allen get out of a recent shooting slump he's had over the past five games? Maybe senior guard Braxton Beverly or freshman guard Cam Hayes can get it going tonight.

I suspect a stronger collective effort from the backcourt will be the case, and the Pack will shoot just well enough from three to come away with the home victory.

NC State shot just 26.1 percent from the perimeter and went 0-of-8 from deep in the second half of the first meeting. The law of averages suggests that the pendulum swings back in State's favor for round two.

The Wolfpack jumps out to a double-digit lead early in the second half and hangs on for a two-possession victory over the Orange.

Prediction: NC State 75, Syracuse 69

Previous predictions:

ACC Game 1: NC State 79, UNC 75 (Actual: NC State 79-76)

ACC Game 2: NC State 87, Boston College 80 (Actual: NC State 79-76)

ACC Game 3: NC State 73, Clemson 71 (Actual: Clemson 74-70)

ACC Game 4: NC State 72, Miami 64 (Actual: Miami 64-59)

ACC Game 5: NC State 82, Florida State 77 (Actual: Florida State 105-73)

ACC Game 6: North Carolina 81, NC State 75 (Actual: UNC 86-76)

ACC Game 7: NC State 80, Wake Forest 71 (Actual: NC State 72-67)

ACC Game 8: NC State 75, Syracuse 72 (Actual: Syracuse 76-73)

ACC Game 9: Virginia 70, NC State 65 (Actual: Virginia 64-57)

ACC Game 10: NC State 77, Boston College 70 (Actual: NC State 81-65)

There were some who privately gave me a bit of a hard time for picking NC State to beat Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

Guess what?

I'm doing it again.

Syracuse is 1-5 on the road, and Vegas has instilled the Wolfpack as a very slight favorite at PNC Arena.

NC State is also playing pretty decent basketball in the month of February. Even in losses at Syracuse and home to Virginia, the Wolfpack played well. Yes, Boston College was severely (and ridiculously) shorthanded when it faced NC State over the weekend, but you don't often see a 37-3 run even during the cupcake portion of the schedule.

The Pack would have won in the Carrier Dome had it not been for an unusually good game from Kadary Richmond, a freshman who basically had his most meaningful scoring production in a game this year. He followed up the contest against NC State by going 0-for-3 from the field and scoring three points in a loss to Clemson.

Barring a three-point barrage from Buddy Boeheim and company, I expect NC State to maybe have its most impressive win of the year yet, considering the circumstances.

Prediction: NC State 78, Syracuse 67

Previous predictions:

ACC Game 1: UNC 79, NC State 70 (Actual: NC State 79-76)

ACC Game 2: NC State 78, Boston College 66 (Actual: NC State 79-76)

ACC Game 3: Clemson 79, NC State 76 (Actual: Clemson 74-70)

ACC Game 4: NC State 79, Miami 76 (Actual: Miami 64-59)

ACC Game 5: Florida State 79, NC State 76 (Actual: Florida State 105-73)

ACC Game 6: North Carolina 79, NC State 76 (Actual: North Carolina 86-76)

ACC Game 7: NC State 77, Wake Forest 71 (Actual: NC State 72-67)

ACC Game 8: NC State 69, Syracuse 66 (Actual: Syracuse 76-73)

ACC Game 9: Virginia 72, NC State 59 (Actual: Virginia 64-57)

ACC Game 10: NC State 74, Boston College 62 (Actual: NC State 81-65)

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