The Pittsburgh Panthers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons hook up in the Quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. on Thursday with both looking for a big win for their resumes come Selection Sunday.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-1.5, 145) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
These teams both won their respective home games in the two regular season games, though Wale Forest had a massive 91-58 victory in the second matchup.
In the 91-58 blowout, Wake Forest shot 60.8% from the floor and 10-of-20 from 3-point range, something they are unlikely to duplicate with Thursday’s game being on a neutral court this time around.
Wake Forest is ranked 40th in the nation in points scored on a per-possession basis but is averaging 17.2 points per 100 possessions and shooting 41.8% from 3-point range at home, which ranks 14th. On the road, however, that percentage drops to 32.8%, which ranks 204th nationally.
Pittsburgh’s defense entered Thursday ranked 27th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage, though that percentage jumped from 29.4% at home to 33.2% on the road.
Both teams have similar splits with their defenses, though Pittsburgh has the slight edge, ranking 70th in points allowed per possession, allowing 10 points more per 100 possessions on the road than at home. The Demon Deacons entered Thursday ranked 88th in the nation in points allowed per possession, allowing 10.3 points more per 100 possessions on the road than at home.
The diminished outside shooting gets compounded by Pittsburgh’s advantage on the glass, ranking fourth in the percentage of opponents’ missed shots that result in an offensive rebound, with opponents grabbing 20.1% of their missed shots when Pittsburgh plays on the road.
Though Wake Forest played at a slower tempo team on Wednesday in its 72-59 win over Notre Dame, the team has depth issues, having just one healthy player with, Damari Monsanto, who is averaging more than two points per game off the bench.
With Wake Forest’s play taking a dip when playing on the road as it is, the team having to play with its thin rotation for the second time in two days will be too much to overcome.
The Play: Pittsburgh Moneyline +114
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