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By Tyler Everett
Sports Betting Editor
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The final ESPN college hoops doubleheader of the 2025-26 regular season starts tonight at 7 p.m. ET in Raleigh, NC, where No. 1 Duke visits ACC foe NC State.
Tonight's college hoops action also includes a must-see Big 12 matchup in Tucson, Arizona, between No. 6 Iowa State and No. 2 Arizona (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
For now, though, let's focus on the best Duke vs. NC State player prop bets and ATS picks. Will Duke (27-2, 15-1 ACC), which boasts a neutral-site win over Michigan as well as blowouts of Notre Dame and Virginia in the last week alone, remain red-hot?
Or will the Wolfpack (19-10, 10-6 ACC), which is 1-4 in its last five games, be able to bounce back with an upset of the Blue Devils?
How To Watch No. 1 Duke vs. NC State
- Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
Duke vs. NC State Betting Odds: Spread, Moneyline, Total
Best Duke vs. NC State Player Prop Bets
Cameron Boozer 25+ Points (+138 at FanDuel) -- 1 unit
Heavy Wooden Award betting favorite Boozer, who is averaging 22.5 points per game this year, has scored more than 20 points just twice in his last six games. He's poised for a massive offensive performance tonight, though.
NC State, whose lack of size in the paint is a big reason this team struggles on both the offensive and defensive glass, is also No. 186 nationally in 2-point field goal percentage defense (51.8 percent)* and No. 208 in effective field goal percentage defense (51.9).
The Pack's top big man, 6-foot-9 forward Ven-Allen Lubin, could have a tough time staying out of foul trouble against the versatile Boozer. NC State's second- and third-leading rebounders this year are 6-6 forward Darrion Williams and 6-5 guard Paul McNeil Jr.
If foul trouble does end up limiting Lubin, reserve Wolfpack bigs Musa Sagnia and Scottie Ebube, who average 13.3 and 3.7 minutes per game, respectively, will need to come up huge for NC State to keep Boozer in check. Boozer's matchup tonight will be that much more favorable if Sagnia, who is listed as questionable, is unable to suit up.
NC State took advantage of the absences of two of the top big men in the ACC -- UNC's Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson -- in a massive win over the Tar Heels in late February, but it struggled against two of the only offensive-minded bigs that it has faced this season.
Miami's Malik Reneau scored a season-high 26 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the floor and grabbed 6 rebounds in State's 77-76 loss to the Canes on February 14. Last week, Virginia's Thijs De Ridder had 19 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting, plus four rebounds in just 26 minutes as NCSU lost to UVA, 90-61.
In fact, Boozer's matchup here is so promising that I'd also consider a small play on Boozer 30+ points at +385 at FanDuel.
*NC State's 2-point field goal percentage defense and effective field goal percentage defense stats come from Barttorvik.com.
Paul McNeil Jr. 3+ Made Threes (-120 at FanDuel) -- 1 unit
Duke, like the two other teams in the top three in the AP Top 25 (Michigan and Arizona), is top-15 nationally in both effective field goal percentage defense and 2-point field goal percentage defense.
But just like the Wolverines, the Blue Devils also give up a ton of 3-point attempts. Duke is No. 341 in the country in opponent 3-point rate, but its opponents shoot just 30.1 percent from outside (the 17th-lowest clip in the country).
The Pack is No. 11 nationally in 3-point shooting percentage at 38.6, and one player who could keep State in this game is McNeil Jr., who is shooting 41.8 percent from deep on 7.3 3-point attempts per game.
McNeil Jr. has made just 6-of-23 from outside over his team's last two games. Still, he's knocked down at least three 3-pointers in six of his last eight games (with four made 3s in three of them). And on the year, he's cashed this prop 16 times in 29 games thanks to his consistent volume (at least 6 3PA in 19-of-29 games).
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Duke vs. NC State Prediction, Best ATS Bets
Historically, NC State has played well against Duke in Raleigh, even upsetting a few Blue Devils squads that went to win it all (including in 2015). Tonight, though, it's hard to see the Pack shocking Boozer and Co. without a red-hot night from 3-point land.
It's worth noting that in Duke's only two losses, to Texas Tech in December and North Carolina in February, the Red Raiders and Heels shot a combined 15-for-41 from beyond the arc. Also keep in mind that the Blue Devils have allowed only five opponents all year to make more than 40 percent of their 3-point attempts, and they are 4-1 in those games.
As much as the home crowd in Raleigh and the history between these schools make the Pack an intriguing underdog at first glance, it's hard to see NC State holding up well enough either defensively or on the glass to cover, much less win this one.
- Prediction: Duke to win
Best Duke vs. NC State Bet Against The Spread
- Duke -9.5 (-108 at DraftKings)
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