ACC Basketball in North Carolina: Sunday’s Odds, Spreads, and Totals

It's a possibility that both of North Carolina's Atlantic Coast Conference teams will lose to Southeastern Conference opponents this Sunday, and we're not even talking about football. Wake Forest has the unenviable task of facing unbeaten Vanderbilt at the same time NC State tips off with Ole Miss.

NC State could be a popular pregame pick to defeat Ole Miss. The 8-4 Wolfpack chewed on the Tigers of Texas Southern in a 108-74 romp coming into the neutral-site tilt with the Rebels. Ole Miss looks shiny enough at 7-4, but the Rebels recently fell to Iowa, Utah, Miami, and St. Johns in succession. 

Vanderbilt could be a tougher nut for the ACC to crack. Wake Forest is flourishing at 9-3, but the Demon Deacons had upset-alert episodes of their own against Longwood on Wednesday evening. Wake plays host to a Vanderbilt Commodores squad that's currently ranked eighth in Division 1 in scoring.

The 11-0 Vanderbilt Commodores are leading the SEC with a team effort. Wake Forest won't be hosting any one deadly threat to light up the scoreboard in Winston-Salem, but a fast-paced ensemble offense of a high caliber when the Commodores visit the Demon Deacons at 1 p.m. EST this Sunday afternoon.

Vandy's versatile system allows differing athletes to do damage from downtown. Senior forward Tyler Nickel is worth a dime under the basket at a hefty 6-foot-7, yet he's also shooting 44.1% from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt guards Duke Miles, Tyler Tanner, and Frankie Collins all average more than four assists.

Wake's guards Juke Harris and Myles Colvin underproduced against Longwood compared to their season averages. Still, both players contributed to the 71-67 victory, Harris tallying 19 points and Colvin netting a clutch three-pointer as the clock ran down. Vanderbilt has slowed down against underdogs, scraping by 4-6 Memphis with a 77-70 overtime win Wednesday. Vanderbilt is 6-4 all-time against Wake Forest. 

NC State guard Paul McNeil dominated Wednesday's victory over Texas Southern, setting a program record with 11 three-pointers against the Tigers. Will the Wolfpack be the next power-conference team to trip an Ole Miss squad that's just come out of a slump, or will the Rebels build up a three-game winning streak? We'll know after Ole Miss and NC State meet in the Greensboro Challenge this Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. 

Wolfpack head coach Will Wade is not in a mood to celebrate McNeil's effort, in which the sophomore netted 47 points and his first career double-double. Wade made national headlines due to harsh postgame remarks about his NC State squad, quoted by Outkick and other sources as ranting that "we're running a daycare … this is beyond concerning … we've got a lot of casual personalities on our team." 

The Rebels haven't traveled well so far, turning the basketball over 12 times versus Iowa's five giveaways in a 74-69 defeat in Iowa City on Nov. 25. If the Wolfpack responds to Wade's pleading to focus on defense, NC State may take advantage of Mississippi's own sloppiness in late autumn. Ole Miss improved to 1-1 all-time against NCSU with a 72-52 win in November of 2023.