The Louisville Cardinals take on the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh, NC. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Louisville is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -325. The total is set at 142.5 points.
Here are my Louisville vs. NC State predictions and college basketball picks for February 12, 2025.
Louisville vs NC State Prediction
My Pick: PASS | Lean NC State +7
My Louisville vs NC State best bet is on the Wolfpack spread, with the best odds currently available at Caesars. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Louisville vs NC State Odds
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -112 | 142.5 -108o / -112u | -325 |
| NC State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -108 | 142.5 -108o / -112u | +260 |
- Louisville vs NC State spread: Louisville -6.5
- Louisville vs NC State over/under: 142.5 points
- Louisville vs NC State moneyline: Louisville -325, NC State +260
- Louisville vs NC State best bet: PASS | Lean NC State +7
Spread
I'm passing on this game altogether, but I'm considering backing the Pack.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the over/under.
My Pick: PASS | Lean NC State +7
Louisville vs NC State College Basketball Betting Preview
I really want to bet NC State here.
The Wolfpack are among the best catch-and-shoot denial defenses in the ACC. They allow the fourth-fewest opportunities per game (15, per Synergy) and lead the conference in rim-and-3 PPP allowed (1.05, per ShotQuality).
That’s crucial against Louisville, which relies on secondary catch-and-shoot creation via dribble-and-kick or off-ball screening sets.
You can hang with the Cardinals by denying their all-important catch-and-shoot opportunities, and I think the Pack can do that.
On the other end of the court, I still have reservations about Louisville’s interior defense, especially its post-up and isolation defense.
NC State is a rim-reliant, post-heavy, isolation-heavy offense that could maybe exploit those Cardinal deficiencies via Marcus Hill drives.
The Cardinals also have back-to-back wins over two bottom-feeders in Boston College and Miami. They could be in for a letdown against a step-up in competition.
For what it’s worth, they lost a road game to Georgia Tech just 10 days ago, a team that ranks nearly identical to NC State in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings.
That said, I can’t quite get behind this wager.
I’m primarily worried about Louisville’s road prowess. The Cardinals are 9-1 ATS on the road and lead the nation in Haslametrics away-from-home metric.
This is also a high-variance matchup. I think the Wolfpack can deny the Cardinals good looks from 3, but they’ll still launch, and they could win by 30 or lose outright based on if the tough looks fall.
