Rogers' Thursday Night BLOCKBUSTER >> SPECIAL OFFER!
(NCAAB) North Carolina State vs. Syracuse,
Point Spread: 5.50 | -110.00 North Carolina State (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: The NC State Wolfpack are 16-9 (6-6 in ACC) and the Syracuse Orange 17-8 (6-6 in ACC) as they get set to meet Wednesday at the Carrier Dome. Their records are similar and so are their recent performances. The Wolfpack have split their last 12, after losing back-to-back games prior to winning three in a row. Meanwhile, the Orange followed a pair of losses with back-to-back wins and have now split their last 14 games.

North Carolina State: The Wolfpack have given up 181 total points in back-to-back losses, after a 96-89 loss to North Carolina. N .C. State shot 54.7 percent and had six players reach double digits in scoring but it couldn't find an answer for North Carolina's Luke Maye, who scored a career-high 33 points. PG Markell Johnson pushes the pace for N.C. State's uptempo offense and is averaging 11 assists per game over his last six (averages 7.8 APG on the season). Guard Allerik Freeman (14.1 & 4.) is the etam's leading scorer and 6-5 junior guard Torin Dorn (13.6 & 6.4) is coming off one of his best games of the season in which he dropped a team-high 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting while adding three steals. The 7-0 Yurtseven (13.8 & 6.9) is the team's best frontcourt player. The Wolfpack check in averaging 80.9 PPG (40th).

Syracuse: The Orange rely on three players offensively, as no other team member averages as much as six point per game. Guards Battle (20.3) and Howard (15.0 & 5.1 APG) are the team's top-two scorers, with 6-9 freshman Brissett (14.2 & 9.0) leading the way in the frontcourt. Jim Boeheim always coaches defense-first and it's no different this season. Syracuse holds opponents to 63.4 PPG (12th) on 38.6% shooting (4th).

The pick: The Wolfpack have been a poor road team (especially ATS) but Syracuse is in a bad situational spot here, having gone 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS win (won and covered its last game over Wake forest). The Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Syracuse and the road team is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings of this series. Make NC State an 8* play..