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ACC Basketball: North Carolina vs. NC State preview, prediction, TV schedule

By Taylor Sturm

Mar 5, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) in the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) in the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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The North Carolina Tar Heels face off with the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Wednesday night in what could be the biggest game of the season for NC State.

TV Schedule: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 8:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra

Arena: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

The North Carolina Tar Heels lead the ACC at the moment, but have several teams on their heels. Their disappointing loss to the Duke Blue Devils opened up the door for other teams to move up the ACC ladder, and UNC will have to finish the season strong if they want to contend for the coveted No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and, more importantly, a No. 1 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is no team more disappointing in college basketball than the NC State Wolfpack. With massive expectations, this team was expected to at least compete with the “elite” ACC teams such as North Carolina, Duke, and the Virginia Cavaliers. Instead, NC State finds themselves rooted to the bottom of the conference standings ahead of just the Boston College Eagles.

However, it should be noted that NC State upset Duke on the road earlier in the season. With an infinitesimally small chance of postseason play, beating the top teams in the ACC and being a “spoiler” is the best result for the Wolfpack to end the season.

Next: Takeways from this weekend's games

Unfortunately, I don’t see a scenario in which NC State upsets UNC. This North Carolina squad is coming off of a disappointing loss to Duke and will bounce back by stomping the Wolfpack on the road. The Florida State Seminoles did UNC a huge favor by losing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and North Carolina is in prime position to win the SEC regular season title.

Prediction: North Carolina 88, NC State 69