Duke basketball vs NC State: Score prediction, scouting report for ACC Tournament
Duke basketball will take aim at back-to-back ACC Tournament championships this week in Washington, D.C.
The 11th-ranked Blue Devils (24-7) will try to become the first team in the league to win consecutive crowns since they accomplished that feat in 2010-11.
That journey starts Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2) against rival NC State (19-14) at Capital One Arena. The Blue Devils, who won the 2005 ACC Tournament in the nation’s capital, earned a 79-64 win at NC State in the final week of the regular season.
The Wolfpack has averaged 88.5 points in two wins this week. Here’s a look at some other things to know and a score prediction for the postseason edition of the rivalry matchup between Duke and NC State.
Duke basketball’s Kyle Filipowski in spotlight
Duke center Kyle Filipowski is an All-ACC first-team selection this season, but a court-storming injury at Wake Forest and a tripping incident against UNC have been the bigger stories in recent weeks. It’ll be interesting to see how Filipowski handles that side of the spotlight as he tries to be the first player to win ACC Tournament MVP in consecutive years since JJ Redick in 2005-06. He averaged 19.7 points and 7 rebounds in last season’s tourney.
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Jared McCain snubbed for ACC Rookie of the Year?
Jared McCain earned a spot on All-ACC freshman team, but just missed out on being named the league’s Rookie of the Year. That honor went to Notre Dame’s Markus Burton, who received 26 more votes than McCain. Because of McCain’s reputation as a competitor, it’s safe to assume he’ll be ready to show ACC voters they made a mistake. He averaged 17.5 points and 6 rebounds in the last two games of the regular season.
DJ Horne, Jayden Taylor driving NC State basketball
The Wolfpack followed four losses to end the regular season with a pair of high-scoring wins against Louisville and Syracuse at the ACC Tournament. After being sidelined with a hip injury against the Cardinals, Horne looked healthy in an impressive outing against the Orange, finishing with 16 points and four steals. Jayden Taylor continued his stellar stretch with 18 points against 'Cuse. Taylor has scored 20 or more points in three of the last six games.
Duke vs. NC State score prediction
Duke 83, NC State 78: Following a disappointing end to the regular season, the Blue Devils will come out with infectious energy in an inspired effort led by McCain. The talent is there for another title, but Duke has to respond with the effort to match that skill. Dangerous and desperate, the Wolfpack will be ready for a battle.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball score prediction vs NC State at ACC Tournament
