Kansas Jayhawks vs. NC State Wolfpack College Basketball prediction, preview (Saturday 5:30pm ET)
It’s been an interesting season for the Jayhawks, who got projected No. 1 overall pick Darryn Peterson back recently. Peterson looked solid in his return, and KU picked up a 20-point victory over Missouri on a neutral floor. Kansas was tremendous during Feast Week without Peterson, collecting three wins in Las Vegas, including an upset of Tennessee.
However, true road games have been a different animal for the Jayhawks. Kansas went to North Carolina in early November, and despite leading by eight points at halftime, wound up losing the game by 13. That trend is nothing new to this season, with the loss at UNC dropping the Jayhawks to 1-6 in their last seven true road games.
The Wolfpack got off to a rough start to the season, beating some lower-level competition before their trip to Maui. But the Feast Week trip to the island was a disaster for NC State, going 1-2 with losses to Seton Hall and Texas. The lone win came over Boise State, which lost its season opener to a D2 team. The Wolfpack got no favors on the schedule, with their first trip off Maui being a road game at Auburn.
Give NC State credit for hanging with the Tigers for a bit, but Auburn ultimately pulled away. NC State’s best showing of the season was in its last game, a 40-point victory over Liberty as a 12.5-point favorite. The Wolfpack haven’t put it all together in a big-time game yet, but they also haven’t hosted a big-time game yet.
NC State is well rounded with its top six players all averaging 9.8 points or more, and have the talent to compete with Kansas. Breaking the Jayhawks on defense is always a challenge, but getting them on the road is the best way to get them rattled. Despite underperforming to start the season, I’ll take the Wolfpack to get a signature win on their resume on Saturday.
