Auburn is facing a tough non-conference test on the road against NC State. Here’s a full preview and prediction for the game.
TV schedule: Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m EST on ESPN2
Arena: PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
NC State will host Auburn on Wednesday night in what promises to be one of the most entertaining non-conference games of the season. Both teams employ press defenses and up-tempo styles of play, meaning there should be a lot of possessions.
Auburn has proven themselves to be one of the country’s best teams and enter this game on a five-game winning streak. Point guard Jared Harper (16.2 ppg, 6.4 apg) has become a star and has led them to a 9-1 record with wins over Xavier, Arizona, Washington, and Dayton.
The Tigers are working forward Danjel Purifoy back into the lineup, who made his return in Auburn’s last game against UAB. He sat out all of last season and the first nine games of this year due to a suspension stemming from the FBI investigation and should give them a new dimension in the frontcourt.
However, this game may mean more for the Wolfpack. They’re coming off an inconsistent 21-12 season and returned a good portion of their production but have yet to gain any respect nationally.
They’re also 9-1 with that only loss coming on the road against Wisconsin, but they haven’t played an overly difficult schedule to this point. Wins over Vanderbilt and Penn State were nice, yet as we’ve seen, neither of those wins will move the needle. Beating Auburn will do that.
It would certainly be an upset but NC State has a 10-man rotation that is talented and isn’t afraid of anyone. With this being a road game for Auburn – their first true road game of the year – and a statement game for the Pack, I give the slight edge to NC State in the upset.
Plus, Kevin Keatts is a winner – and winners win.
Prediction: NC State wins 92-87