North Carolina State Wolfpack vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/24/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Venue:  John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA

Where to Watch:  ACC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NCSU +5.5, UVA -5.5; Over/Under:  150.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NCSU +5.5, UVA -5.5; Over/Under:  150.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NCSU +6.5, UVA -6.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  19-8 (10-4) (4th place, ACC)

Virginia Cavaliers:  24-3 (12-2) (2nd place, ACC)

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North Carolina State Wolfpack:  3-2  last 5

Virginia Cavaliers:  5-0  last 5

NC State is entering this game with a 19-8 record overall, a 10-4 record in conference games, and they are 6-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the North Carolina Tar Heels in their last game. Quadir Copeland led the team in points in that game with 20 while Matt Able was next on the team with 19. Quadir Copeland led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Paul McNeil led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 48.4% from the field, 45% from 3-point range, and 68.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.8 PPG against them. NC State has an ATS record of 15-11-1 this season and their O/U record is 16-11.

Virginia is entering this game with a 24-3 record overall, a 12-2 conference record, and they are 13-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Miami Hurricanes in their last game. Jacari White led the team in points in that game with 17 while Sam Lewis was next on the team with 15. Chance Mallory led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Chance Mallory led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 58% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68 PPG against them. Virginia has an ATS record of 13-12-2 this season and their O/U record is 11-16.

The current betting odds have Virginia listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Virginia has looked great in their games this season with their 24-3 record overall and their 12-2 conference record which has them right near the top of the ACC. They have looked great on their home court too with their 13-1 home record this season. Meanwhile, NC State has looked good in their games this season with their 19-8 record overall and their 10-4 conference record which has them in the top half of the ACC. They have been a good road team too with their 6-2 road record this year. NC State has been rolling in the conference this season, but they have not had many chances to prove themselves with a weaker schedule that doesn't have many of the top opponents in the ACC on it so far. They are off a big home win over UNC in their last one and that was a big rivalry win for them, but they also beat up on a UNC team that was missing their best player. They are only 3-2 in their last 5 games as they haven't been at their best lately and 2 of those losses have been in their last 3 games. Their last road game was also a loss to Louisville by over 40 points. Virginia is off a tight home win over Miami in their last one, but Miami has quietly been one of the top teams in the ACC this year. Virginia has also been rolling lately with 8 wins in a row now and they have been blowing out a lot of their opponents at home. Virginia hasn't had too many chances to prove themselves this year either, but they are going to bring their best effort here to pick up a statement win at home against an NC State team that was completely embarrassed in their last road game when they finally had a real challenge. The best way to place a bet here is on Virginia to cover the spread in this game. 

North Carolina State Virginia Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, February 24, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Virginia 75 NC State 65.

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North Carolina State Wolfpack: 3-8 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less or pick. 2-11 ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 4-9 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%). 24-15 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 14-5 UNDER versus good passing teams, averaging 16 assists/game or more.

Virginia Cavaliers: 4-1 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 37% of their attempts or more. 7-2 ATS vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more. 9-4 ATS versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 28-19 UNDER in all home games. 6-3 UNDER as a home favorite of 6 points or less or pick.

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  S. Ebube (C) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Deng (F) Out - Redshirt. C. Langdon (F) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Virginia Cavaliers:  D. Tillis (F) Questionable - Undisclosed.

“Virginia is playing great. They've got great personnel. They're huge. They're kind of the opposite of we are. Their physicality poses a lot of issues for us. So it will be a monumental task for us tomorrow, and hopefully can play better, get off to a better start than we got off to in the first game.” - Will Wade on his team’s upcoming game against Virginia.

"That's a point guard, right? When the game's on the line, you want to get it up as quickly as you can. It's certainly something that we worked on - and it gives us a chance to call the timeout if we need it, it's really it's up to me at that point... I like to let our guys go. And you can sense that. Jacari's shot was amazing, but you know, when he gets in that zone, he's made several in that situation. As a coach, you have to trust and certainly in that moment, we did. Chance advanced it as fast as he could, and created something really positive there, obviously, made the free throws, which was a huge thing - a lot of pressure there." - Ryan Odom after his team’s win against Miami-FL in their last game. 

Q. Copeland 

T. Holloman 

V. Lubin 

P. McNeil 

D. Williams

T. De Ridder 

J. Grünloh 

D. Hall 

S. Lewis 

M. Thomas

PPG: Darrion Williams (14.2)

APG: Quadir Copeland (6.8)

Reb/G: Ven-Allen Lubin (7)

PPG: Thijs De Ridder (15.9)

APG: Dallin Hall (4.2)

Reb/G: Thijs De Ridder (6.4)

Coaches:

North Carolina State Wolfpack: Will Wade (1st season)

Virginia Cavaliers: Ryan Odom (1st season)