College basketball picks: North Carolina-NC State prediction, odds, spread for February 19

We have a Tobacco Road rivalry showdown on Sunday afternoon as the No. 23 NC State Wolfpack welcome the North Carolina Tar Heels to the state capital at 1 p.m. ET. The game will take place at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC, and will air on ESPN.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

North Carolina vs. NC State odds

Spread: NC State -2
Over/Under: 154
Moneyline: NC State -135, North Carolina +115

North Carolina (16-10, 8-7 ACC) is squarely on the bubble heading into a new week and it didn't do itself any favors with last Monday's 80-72 loss to Miami. The Tar Heels lost its early lead right before halftime and couldn't keep up as the Hurricanes pulled away in the second half. RJ Davis had 23 points and five rebounds in the loss.

NC State (20-7, 10-6 ACC) also suffered a setback early last week, falling to Syracuse in a 75-72 loss on Tuesday. The Wolfpack and Orange were attached to the hip for the entire contest and a pair of free throws by Judah Mintz put the Orange up by three with 24 second remaining. Both of State's shot attempts afterwards missed the mark, stamping its second loss in three games. Jarkel Joiner had a triple-double with 15 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in the loss.

The Pick: North Carolina +2

This is a backs-agains-the-wall situation for North Carolina, whose NCAA Tournament dreams are eroding after losing four of its last five games. The Tar Heels desperately need a Quad 1 victory on its resume and what better opportunity than on the road against a hated rival?

The Wolfpack have played several close games against teams ranked in the top 80 in KenPom and will be facing a Tar Heels team ranked No. 40. Give me a hungry North Carolina team to cover and pull the upset in Raleigh here.

  
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