NC State Wolfpack basketball will play its first game of the 2021 NIT Thursday at 7:00 p.m. against Davidson on ESPN.

The Wildcats (13-8, 7-4 A-10) are coming off of a 64-52 loss to VCU in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and the Wolfpack (13-10, 9-8 ACC) fell 89-68 to Syracuse in the ACC Tournament.

Here are The Wolfpacker staff's game predictions for State's matchup with Davidson:

Davidson is a tough first-round matchup.

I like the winner of this game to advance to the NIT semifinals, at the very least.

The in-state rivalry aspect adds a little spice to tonight's contest. Since I already picked every game of the NIT (full disclosure, off to an 0-2 start after Wednesday night), here's what I wrote about this game:

"Davidson may be the best in the NIT. The Wildcats rank 17th nationally in effective field goal percentage (.555) and eighth in two-point shooting (.568).

"NC State leads the all-time series 25-2 against its in-state foe, but Davidson has won two of the last four meetings, including a 72-67 victory on a neutral court in the most recent encounter in 2008.

"But that Wildcats team had a 6-3, 185-pound guard named Stephen Curry, who went on to become a two-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion.

"Curry tied his collegiate career-high of 44 points in that game, but he won’t be walking out of the locker room this time at UNT Coliseum in Denton, Texas."

Indeed, Curry won't be on the floor tonight, but make no mistake, this Wildcats team can shoot. Five of its nine-man rotation shoots 38 percent or better from beyond the arc. The Cats ranks 18th in adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 1.14 points per possession according to KenPom. Davidson, however, ranks 126th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

The Wolfpack is a more balanced team that ranks in the top 100 of both categories. NC State also ranks top 90 in two-point, three-point and effective field goal percentage.

Davidson doesn't turn its opponents over much (315th in defensive turnover percentage), so the Pack should be in good shape if it can take care of the ball and prevent unforced errors.

The key to that will be the play of the freshman guards Cam Hayes, Shakeel Moore and Dereon Seabron. That trio played lights-out down the stretch of the regular season, which led to the five-game win streak.

The young backcourt struggled, however, in the second round of the ACC Tournament in the 21-point loss to Syracuse. The last time the freshmen didn't play well was the one-possession win over Pittsburgh in State's home finale.

They bounced back strong with 45 combined points in the Wolfpack's 80-69 win over Notre Dame. Davidson is similar to the Irish. The Cats shoot the ball well, have one of the most efficient offenses in the country but struggle to defend.

I like the freshman guards to respond with a strong performance tonight, and NC State moves on to the second round in the process.

Prediction: NC State 74, Davidson 73

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)

ACC Game 11: NC State 75, Syracuse 69 (Actual: Syracuse 77-68)

ACC Game 12: Duke 85, NC State 84 (Actual: Duke 69-53)

ACC Game 13: Pittsburgh 70, NC State 67 (Actual: NC State 74-73)

ACC Game 14: NC State 78, Wake Forest 67 (Actual: NC State 80-62)

ACC Game 15: Virginia 65, NC State 61 (NC State 68-61)

ACC Game 16: NC State 75, Pittsburgh 66 (NC State 65-62)

ACC Game 17: NC State 81, Notre Dame 76 (NC State 80-69)

Regular season picks: 10-7

ACC Tournament Game 1: NC State 76, Syracuse 71 (Cuse 89-68)

At the risk of being the Debbie Downer, I am going to probably make the unpopular pick and go with Davidson to end the Wolfpack’s season on Thursday night.

A lot about playing in the NIT is motivation, which is one of my top concerns about this game from a NC State perspective. It’s not that I doubt that NC State will be excited to play the game. It’s more that I can see Davidson’s motivation being even higher.

When talking about his team’s first-round matchup with North Carolina A&T, NC State women’s basketball coach Wes Moore recalled how he felt when he was leading Chattanooga’s program and they would play Tennessee. I think that comparison applies more aptly to the way Davidson is feeling about this game.

Granted Davidson has an international feel to its lineup, with starters from South Korea, New England and Austria, so perhaps they may not have as much appreciation for the change to play one of the higher profile programs in the state. Regardless, they know they are getting an ACC team, the lone one in the NIT, and they play in the heart of ACC country. To them, this has to represent an awesome opportunity.

Combined with Davidson’s effectiveness shooting three-pointers and being somewhat battle-tested by competing in a pretty good A-10 this year, thus playing up in competition and athleticism will not be a shock to them, gives the slight edge to the Wildcats.

My guess is NC State controls much of the action, but Davidson gets hot at an opportune time late and rallies for a late victory.

Prediction: Davidson 77, NC State 72

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)

ACC Game 11: NC State 78, Syracuse 67 (Actual: Syracuse 77-68)

ACC Game 12: Duke 83, NC State 76 (Actual: Duke 69-53)

ACC Game 13: Pittsburgh 71, NC State 62 (Actual: NC State 74-73)

ACC Game 14: NC State 77, Wake Forest 71 (Actual: NC State 80-62)

ACC Game 15: Virginia 72, NC State 58 (NC State 68-61)

ACC Game 16: NC State 79, Pittsburgh 65 (NC State 65-62)

ACC Game 17: Notre Dame 79, NC State 73 (NC State 80-69)

Regular season picks: 10-7

ACC Tournament Game 1: Syracuse 75, NC State 70 (Cuse 89-68)

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