ESPN predicts the winner of Auburn vs. NC State in ACC/SEC Challenge

The 2025 ACC/SEC Challenged tipped off on Tuesday night, and the SEC fell behind the rival conference 6-3 after winning the challenge last season 14-2. The Auburn Tigers will try to help narrow that gap on Wednesday night when they host NC State.

Auburn lost their matchup with Duke last season, 84-78 and looks to make a bigger impact for the season this time around. It will not be easy, though. NC State enters the game with a 5-2 record and is led by Darrion Williams at 18.7 points per game. He has demonstrated his scoring ability with 32 points against UNC Greensboro and 28 against VCU. Another player for the Wolfpack Auburn will need to slow down is Quadir Copeland. He scored 20 points in a 102-97 loss versus Texas last week in the Maui Invitational.

Despite all of that, the ESPN Matchup Predictor favors Auburn with a 71.3% chance of gaining a victory.

Auburn currently holds a 6-2 record, and last week went 2-1 at the Player’s Era Festival. They defeated Oregon 84-73 and St. John’s 85-74. They did, however, lose 102-72 to the Michigan Wolverines, who were the best team in the tournament. Michigan also had a blowout victory over Gonzaga.

Tahaad Pettiford had his best performance of the season in the Tigers' comeback victory against St. John’s with 27 points. He was 10 of 19 from the floor and connected on a trio of three-point shots. Keyshawn Hall had 20 points in the game as well. For Hall, that was his fifth game with 20 points or more this season for Auburn. When Pettiford and Hall are both playing well, the Tigers are a tough team to beat.

Auburn will host NC State on the second night of the ACC/SEC Challenge, with a tip-off time of 8:15 p.m. Central, and the game will be broadcast by ESPN.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball ESPN prediction vs. NC State in ACC/SEC Challenge