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The previous two meetings between the St. Louis Billikens (7-5; 5-5-1 ATS) and NC State Wolfpack (7-3; 5-5-0 ATS) took place in Missouri. This time, PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the venue, as these schools reconvene. The latest matchup in 2020 ended with the Billikens ahead by 11. Will history repeat itself on Wednesday night, or is NC State going to keep winning? At 7:00 p.m. EDT, the world will get its answer.
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Facing a six-point deficit with 30 seconds remaining, Terrence Hargrove Jr. took over. He was responsible for 11 straight points, including a three at the buzzer, which ended the game with a 75-74 Billikens win. Scoring is how St. Louis tends to win, and they'll need every bit of their 74.3 points per game average in this one. Those points come primarily through 39.2% three-point shooting. Overall, the Billikens hit 44.4% of their attempts. Don't anticipate St. Louis pulling down a lot of offensive boards. For them, it's all about knocking down their open looks. Even if only 30 seconds remain, a lead may not be safe.
The Billikens need a lot of points because the defense gives most of it back. St. Louis is 305th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, and they allow 74.9 points per game. Their opponents only shoot 32.6% from deep and attempt 18.3 free throws per game. However, the Billikens allow 44.9% shooting overall. Their competition hasn't been tough enough to warrant that. Along with struggles with forcing misses, St. Louis often gets bullied on the glass (-4.2 per game). An inability to get stops will eventually be the Billikens' downfall.