Quick Picks with Coach Rick Bowe, CBB Picks, CBB Free Picks, CBB Predictions 2/9/26

Quick Picks with Coach Rick Bowe, CBB Picks, CBB Free Picks, CBB Predictions 2/9/26

NC STATE @ LOUISVILLE (LVL -6.5, 162.5)

CBB ODDS, CBB PREDICTIONS, CBB PREVIEWS

COACH RICK CBB PREVIEWS

WOLFPACK @ CARDINALS 2/9/26

The ACC spotlight shines on the KFC Yum! Center this Monday night as the NC State Wolfpack (18-6, 9-2 ACC) travel to face the No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 ACC). This is a high-stakes "White Out" game with massive implications for both the conference standings and NCAA Tournament resumes. NC State enters on a historic six-game winning streak—their longest in 51 years—while Louisville has won three straight and five of their last six.

This matchup features two of the most explosive offenses in the country, both averaging exactly 85.7 points per game. NC State is the most efficient three-point shooting team in the ACC (40.2%), while Louisville leads the entire nation in three-point attempt rate, with over 54% of their shots coming from deep.

NC State has seen the Over hit in 8 of their last 10 games, including high-scoring affairs like their 113-69 win over Florida State and a recent 96-78 victory against Wake Forest. Louisville’s offense has reached a new level since the return of point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who has helped the Cardinals settle into a rhythm that saw them put up 100 points on Pitt and 88 on Wake Forest recently. With both teams looking to push in transition and relying heavily on the long ball, this game has all the makings of a track meet.

While Louisville is the favorite at home, the Wolfpack are playing with incredible confidence and have not lost a road game in ACC play all season. Coach Will Wade has NC State clicking, particularly in transition where they generate their best looks. The Wolfpack are 6-1 straight up on the road and have covered the spread in four of their last six games.

Louisville is a formidable home team (12-2), but they have struggled to cover large numbers recently, going 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games. NC State’s ability to match Louisville’s scoring output and their superior three-point accuracy (led by Paul McNeil Jr. at 43.5%) should allow them to keep this within a two-possession game, if not win it outright. The Wolfpack’s experience in close games—including a recent one-point win over SMU—gives them the edge to cover this 6.5-point cushion.

The Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center are a tough out. Louisville is No. 17 in the NET rankings and holds a significant size advantage in the frontcourt. Players like Sananda Fru, who leads the team with 44 dunks and recently went 7-for-7 from the field against Wake Forest, present a major matchup problem for an undersized NC State interior defense.

Louisville’s physicality and home-court advantage (where they are 12-2) could be the deciding factors. While NC State’s shooting will keep them close, Louisville’s ability to generate high-percentage looks at the rim (14.3% of their attempts are dunks, 12th nationally) provides a more stable scoring floor than relying solely on the three-point line. The Cardinals have a 75.8% win probability according to ESPN's BPI.

Louisville went through a 4-4 stretch while their star point guard, Brown, was out with a back injury. Since his return five games ago, the Cardinals have looked like a Top-15 team again. He recently tallied 12 points and 8 assists against Wake Forest, proving he is the engine that makes this offense go.

The Wolfpack are 7th nationally in 3PT FG% (40.2%). Paul McNeil Jr. leads the ACC in individual accuracy, and Tre Holloman has been a spark plug off the bench. If NC State hits 12+ threes, they are very hard to beat.

Louisville’s Sananda Fru and J'Vonne Hadley are highly efficient interior scorers. NC State coach Will Wade has noted his team's struggle against larger, physical opponents. The battle on the boards will be critical, as Louisville ranks 27th nationally in total rebounds.

Last season, Louisville blew out NC State 91-66. While both teams have different rosters and NC State has improved significantly under Wade, the Cardinals' style of play has historically given the Wolfpack trouble.

Get free CBB Picks and CBB Predictions for the top games on the weekly 2026 CBB schedule from the YLose.com  crew, one of the industry's largest networks of premier expert CBB handicappers. YLose.com has been bringing the CBB betting community the best CBB free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best CBB moneyline and point spread odds and game totals.

FREE PICK: OVER 161.5

Last year when these two teams played, the game total closed at 144.5. The total went Over primarily because Louisville shot the lights out - 63.9% and 11-of-19 from three - and scored 91 points. Both these teams like to play fast. Louisville is 78th in possessions per game and NC State ranks 123rd. Both rank in the top-100 in Adjusted Tempo. Each of NC State’s last six games has gone Over the total. Louisville has gone Over the total in two of its last three and in 4 of the last 6 against NC State. With the amount of three-point attempts that will be taken tonight, we’re banking on both teams hitting double digit threes. Keep in mind, this total is nearly 20 points higher than last year’s closing total.

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