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The West Virginia Mountaineers are ranked No. 22 in the nation after a strong start to the season in which their lone loss came to a talented LSU team on a neutral court. WVU leads the nation in steals and is one of the most balanced teams in the country.
Next up for the Mountaineers are another one of the most balanced teams in the country, the North Carolina State Wolfpack, who will face WVU in the Gotham Classic on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2.
NC State is led in scoring by Alabama transfer Trevor Lacey and is top five in the nation when it comes to defensive rebounds and blocks. This young squad boasts no overly impressive wins so far this season, but their 9 – 2 record bodes well for a trip to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. A win over West Virginia would be the biggest of their non-conference schedule and likely mean that, as long as NC State avoids losing to bad ACC teams at home, they only need to win around nine ACC games to make the tournament.
The Mountaineers should be expected to win this game. The Wolfpack are more than capable of pulling off the upset, but NC State will struggle early. If these two teams were to meet in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, I give NC State the upper hand. Watch this team moving forward, because they could pull off major upsets in the ACC, but West Virginia wins this one in a thriller.
Prediction: West Virginia 64, NC State 60
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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