North Carolina vs. N.C. State: Game Preview, Prediction

The North Carolina Tar Heels visit the N.C. State Wolfpack in ACC action on Wednesday.

Both teams are coming off of big wins last weekend. North Carolina held off the Louisville Cardinals 72-71 in Chapel Hill, while N.C. State upset the Duke Blue Devils 87-75 in Raleigh.

North Carolina, currently ranked 15th in the country, is 12-4 on the season. Roy Williams and his team have won six of their last seven contests and appear to have righted a wayward ship from earlier this year.

All-American guard Marcus Paige leads the Heels in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. Big man Kennedy Meeks averages 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds, while Brice Johnson averages 11.3 points per contest.

N.C. State is 12-5 on the season and 3-1 in the ACC. After starting the season 8-1, the Wolfpack have alternated wins and losses in their last eight contests. Head coach Mark Gottfried is looking for more consistency from his squad.

A pair of transfers lead the Wolfpack in scoring. Junior guard Trevor Lacey, formerly of the Alabama Crimson Tide, leads the Wolfpack in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game. Ralston Turner, who transferred from the LSU Tigers, averages 13.3 points, while sophomore Anthony Barber scores 11.4 points per outing.

If the pattern holds for N.C. State, they are due to have a poor performance on Wednesday after playing so well on Sunday against Duke. However, the Wolfpack get the Heels at home in what should be an electric atmosphere at PNC Arena.

North Carolina cannot afford another early-season ACC loss, so expect the Heels to carry the momentum from Saturday’s win over Louisville into this game.

Final score prediction: North Carolina 82, N.C. State 80

Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.