NC State vs Marquette March Madness Lines for the Game: Sweet 16 Betting

Previous Betting News

Fresh off its biggest win of the season in knocking off No. 1 Purdue, No. 18 Indiana looks to avoid a letdown spot on Tuesday in Big Ten action as it tries for the regular-season split with No. 24 Rutgers, which still has a shot at the Big Ten title. Here’s a look at that game and one other ranked matchup Tuesday and which side of the NCAAB odds to play.

Top Games of College Basketball Betting Picks

No. 24 Rutgers at No. 18 Indiana (-4)

On Dec. 3 in New Jersey, Rutgers thumped Indiana 63-48. Freshman guard Derek Simpson scored 10 straight points in a game-deciding run and Rutgers beat Indiana for the sixth time in a row and ninth time in 10 meetings. Caleb McConnell added 16 points and 10 rebounds. IU shot 30.4% from the field, including 6 of 21 from long range. Star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who faced a packed in defense, was held to 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late.

Rutgers (16-7) beat Michigan State 61-55 on Saturday but it was costly as big man Mawot Mag suffered a knee injury in the first half and is expected to miss some time. A third-year forward who has started the first 23 games of the season, Mag left the game with 6:25 remaining in the first half. He fell hard on the floor after going up for a lay-up and grabbed his knee immediately upon landing.

Mag entered Saturday’s game averaging a career-high in minutes (25.4), scoring (7.9 points), rebounds (5.4) and assists (1.2). Losing Mag for any period of time would certainly hurt the Scarlet Knights.

“That’s really tough, especially what he brings to this team,” McConnell said. “He brings a lot more. Everyone looks at the stat sheet and everyone looks at (offense). He brings way more. He absolutely stuffs the stat sheet. He comes through when you need him. Hard worker and he’s kind of our anchor on both ends.”

Rutgers has been propelled by an outstanding defense. The Scarlet Knights are 16-1 when holding their opponents to 65 or fewer points and 8-0 when doing so in Big Ten games. Rutgers has allowed 65 points or fewer in all but 3 games this year.

Prior to the 2018-2019 season, RU only had four true road ranked wins in program history. A win at No. 18 IU would give RU four ranked wins in true road games over the past six seasons. Over the past two seasons, RU is 5-9 on the road in Big Ten play and has eight Big Ten road wins in the past three seasons. Prior to that, RU won just five Big Ten road games in the first five seasons as a league member.

Indiana (16-7) beat No. 1 Purdue 79-74 on Saturday as star Trayce Jackson-Davis totaled 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Jackson-Davis has made 92-of-170 (54.1%) of his shots from the floor and 48-of-66 (72.7%) of his free throw attempts in the first 10 games of the new year. Indiana snapped Purdue’s streak of 24-straight games with holding opponents to under 70 points. It was the longest active streak in the country. Indiana’s 79 points were the most scored by a Purdue opponent this season.

Indiana claimed the first six games of the series with Rutgers, including the first five as Big Ten foes. However, since the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, the Scarlet Knights have won eight of the last nine matchups against the Hoosiers.

No. 22 NC State at No. 8 Virginia (-7.5)

This is the only scheduled meeting between the ACC rivals. NC State (19-5) won its fourth straight game with a 72-64 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Pack trailed by three, 61-58, with 4:10 remaining in the game, but held the Yellow Jackets scoreless for almost four minutes, going on an 11-0 run before Georgia Tech hit a three with 25 seconds remaining to stop the NC State run.

Forward DJ Burns led NC State in points (24) and rebounds (8) in the win. Burns is averaging 23.3 points on 56.6 percent shooting and also pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game over the last three outings. Guard Terquavion Smith passed out a career-high 10 assists in the win. He ranks fifth in the ACC in assists per game and still leads the ACC in scoring with an average of 18.5 points per game, despite scoring just five points – his first single digit scoring game of the season – against the Yellow Jackets.

NC State has won eight of its last nine ACC games. The last time the Pack had that much success in a nine-game conference stretch was when the 1973-74 team went 12-0 in the ACC on its way to a 30-1 record and the National Championship. The Pack’s 9-4 conference record marks the first time since March 6, 2013 that the Pack has been five games over .500 in ACC play. NC State guard Casey Morsell played two seasons at Virginia from 2019-21.

Virginia (17-4) comes off a 74-68 loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday but is a very different team at home. The loss, the Wahoos’ first since Jan. 3, ended their seven-game winning streak. Jayden Gardner has led the Cavaliers in scoring in each of the past three games and is averaging 18.3 points and 8.0 rebounds during that span.

UVA has limited 37 consecutive ACC opponents to fewer than 70 points at John Paul Jones Arena. UVA ranks first nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.76), fourth in turnovers per game (9.3), 10th in scoring defense (60.9 ppg), 17th in assists per game (16.4), 19th in 3-point percentage (38.3%), 22nd in fouls per game (14.3), 32nd in turnover margin (3.0) and 41st in scoring margin (9.5).

NC State holds an 85-68 lead in its series with Virginia. In the teams’ only 2021-22 meeting, the Pack won 77-63 in Raleigh.

Expert Picks

Indiana and NC State against the spread

Previous Betting News

Virginia had been in control of its destiny to win the ACC regular-season title but had a rough last week. The No. 15 Cavs will be sizable home favorites on Wednesday against NC State. UVA is +2800 to win the national title.

How to Bet NC State at Virginia NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 6:30 PM ET
Where: John Paul Jones Arena
TV: ACC Network
Stream: ESPN app
Radio:com
Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (Virginia will be favored)

Last Meeting

On Feb. 3 at NC State, the Cavaliers won 64-57. Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III each scored 18 points to lead UVA. Jericole Hellems poured in 23 points before fouling out for N.C. State. Hellems’ jumper gave the Wolfpack a 46-45 lead with less than 6 1/2 minutes remaining as Virginia endured an eight-minute span without a field goal. Hauser hit a 3-pointer to break the drought, allowing the Cavaliers to build a 50-46 edge with 5:38 to play. Jay Huff converted a three-point play to stretch the lead to 55-48. All of Virginia’s scoring came from its starters.

Virginia has won nine of its past 10 games against NC State.

Why Bet on NC State? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Wolfpack (10-9) have work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament, but they won a second in a row Saturday, 80-62 at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons hit seven triples for the 11th-straight game, but could not overcome the Wolfpack’s hot shooting as they tallied hit 50 percent of their shots.

Wake Forest went into the intermission trailing the Wolfpack, 51-35. The second half began with NC State continuing their hot shooting. The Wolfpack extended their lead to 19 with 13:40 remaining in regulation.

“They enforced their will on us both offensively and defensively and they dominated the game from the 15-minute mark to the end,” Wake coach Steve Forbes said.

Dereon Seabron had a career-day as the redshirt freshman posted career-highs in points (14), rebounds (9) and steals (4) while also tying his career-high in assists with three. He was one of five Pack players to make it into double figures in scoring.

It marked the third consecutive ACC road win for NC State. It’s the first time since the last two road games of the 2002-03 season and first road game of 2003-04 season that NC State has won three straight ACC road games. The last time, NC State had won three straight ACC road games in the same season was the 2001-02 season. The Pack forced Wake Forest into 19 turnovers and ended the game with a 28-5 in points off turnovers.

In the Pack’s nine wins this season, NC State is combining to shoot 51.2% from the field and hold its opponents to 42.9% shooting. In its eight losses, the numbers are nearly reversed. The Pack is shooting 42.9% when it loses and its opponents are shooting 50%.

Sophomore forward Manny Bates is shooting 66.7% from the field in ACC-only games. The field goal percentage is the best mark in the league (minimum 4 made FGs/game).

Why Bet on Virginia? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

Virginia (15-5) lost its grip on the ACC title race last week, getting pummeled by Florida State on Monday and then falling in the final minute at Duke on Saturday, 66-65 Late in the game against the Blue Devils, the Cavaliers’ lack of a go-to guy who could create his own shot in end-clock or end-game situations was evident. Virginia’s defense also struggled this past week, allowing 147 points on 123 possessions over the two games. Florida State shot 54.2% from 3; Duke 60.7% from 2.

Freshman Jaemyn Brakefield scored the go-ahead basket on a reverse layup with 1:58 left and Duke came up with a final-possession stop for the upset. Amazingly, five of the last seven games in the Duke-Virginia series have been one or two-point games.

UVA, efficient offensively for most of the game, went scoreless in the final three minutes and dropped into second place in the ACC behind No. 16 Florida State. With 3:10 to play, Jay Huff hit both ends of a one-and-one to push the Cavaliers’ lead to 65-62. Virginia had four more possessions. None was productive. The Cavaliers have lost consecutive games for the first time this season, their 12th time ever under Coach Tony Bennett.

Huff led UVA with 20 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Sam Hauser added 19 points and eight boards and Kihei Clark had 15 points. Virginia shot 50 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from three, while Duke shot 51 percent and 39.1 percent beyond the arc. UVA led 34-24 in points in the pain, but Duke had 14 fast break points to two for the Cavaliers.

Bennett says Tomas Woldetensae will be unavailable Wednesday due to contact tracing protocols. The senior doesn’t play a ton, averaging 4.5 points and 1.3 assists.

Virginia has lost 10 ACC games the last three seasons in addition to one conference tournament loss, which came in 2018-19. Of those 11 losses to conference foes, six have come to Florida State and Duke. The Seminoles and Blue Devils are the only ACC teams to beat UVA multiple times over the last three seasons, and they’ve both done it three times.

Expert College Basketball Prediction

Virginia 68, NC State 61

Bet College Basketball Today
MyBookie Odds for the Games

Previous Betting News

In order to go all the way to a national championship title in college basketball, the eventual winner is going to have to beat the best teams available in any given year. Teams that we thought would be contenders very often come up short in the tournament, simply because they haven’t faced that level of talent throughout the course of the regular season. That is not an argument that teams from the ACC can make, because once they get into conference play, they are routinely going against the best. As it stands now, the ACC has 7 teams sitting in the top 25, clearly proving that it is the toughest conference in college basketball.

The NC State Wolfpack and the Louisville Cardinals are sitting in the lower reaches of the top 25, with one of them potentially falling out of the rankings with a loss here. It goes without saying that this is a massive game for both, especially given the cutthroat nature of ACC conference play. Louisville is in as a 5-point favorite at the latest NCAAB odds, with the point total set at 155 ½.

NC State vs Louisville Cardinals NCAA Basketball Betting Lines & Pick

When: Thursday, January 24 at 8 PM EST
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville
TV: ACC Network
Radio: TuneIn
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines: Louisville Cardinals -4 (Total 155.5)

Gonzaga at Santa Clara NCAA Basketball Odds & Game Info

Why bet on the NC State Wolfpack?

At 15-3 on the season, the NC State Wolfpack are currently residing in the #21 spot, 2 places above their Thursday night opposition. They are a game and a half back of the pace being set at the top of the ACC, posting a 3-2 record in conference play, which is not all that bad when you consider that no team in the conference has made it through unscathed in ACC play.

This will be the 4th time that the Wolfpack have gone against a ranked opponent this season, going 1-2 SU in their previous 3 outings. They have been a very good bet against the spread in recent weeks, going 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games and a stellar 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games on the road. They are a perfect 2-0 ATS as the underdog this season, with one of those coming away from home.

Why bet on the Louisville Cardinals?

With a loss to the Pitt Panthers a couple of weeks back, the Louisville Cardinals fell to their first defeat in conference play. That could have been a point in their season where they went on a bit of a skid, but they have bounced back quite nicely, reeling off 3 straight wins, one of which was an 83-62 manhandling of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

That victory was certainly no fluke, as the Cardinals have won those last 3 games by an average score of just under 20 PPG. Despite these recent big wins, Louisville has not been a particularly good bet against the spread, going just 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games. As a home favorite this season, the Cardinals are an uninspiring 3-4-2 ATS.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for NC State vs Louisville

These two teams would appear to be very evenly matched, in which case it is very often home court advantage that comes into play. I am taking the Louisville Cardinals to win this one, and I believe they may just cover the spread by the very slimmest of margins.

Score: NC State Wolfpack 74 – Louisville Cardinals 80

Previous Betting News

It’s the Big East against the SEC in the East Region on Friday night when No. 10 Marquette takes on No. 7 South Carolina – the Gamecocks were unfairly selected to play in their home state. The winner here takes on No. 2 Duke, the NCAA Tournament favorite, on Sunday. USC is favored to advance. Here’s a look at the March Madness odds for the game.

Marquette vs South Carolina March Madness Spread, Free Pick & TV Info

When: Friday, March 17, 9:50 PM ET
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
TV: TBA
Radio: Marquette / South Carolina
Opening NCAAB Lines: USC -1.5

Why Bet On Marquette?

Outside of graduate transfer Katin Reinhardt, who came to Marquette after stints at UNLV and USC and became the second player ever to make the NCAA Tournament with three different teams, this marks the first time in the Big Dance for the rest of Marquette’s players. It’s also the Golden Eagles’ first NCAA Tournament trip in three seasons under head coach Steve Wojciechowski.

The Golden Eagles boast one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. The Golden Eagles rank among the nation’s top-20 in six offensive categories, highlighted by their top effort of 43.0 percent from behind the 3-point line. The balanced scoring features five players averaging double figures in points, ranging from 13.2 points per game to 10.9 points per contest. Only UCLA has more players (six) with 300-or- more points than Marquette’s five competitors.

MU has only averaged over 80.0 points per contest for a season on three previous occasions, most recently during the 1970-71 campaign (81.7 ppg.). Since 1948-49, only the 1954-55 team has been a more explosive offensive attack, concluding the year scoring 84.2 points per game. Leading scorerMarkus Howard shot a Divison I best 54.9% from long range.

It’s something Marquette will need to lean on against South Carolina, which boasts one of the best defenses in the country, a high-pressure scheme that forces opponents into turnovers on 24.5% of their possessions.

Marquette has only been seeded 10th once in its previous 31 appearances and fell to Providence 81-59 in 1997 in Charlotte, N.C. The Golden Eagles have covered the number just once over their last five NCAA tournament outings.

Why Bet On South Carolina?

Despite owning a defense that ranks in the 98th percentile for efficiency and forces the fifth-most turnovers in the NCAA, the Gamecocks come into the tournament in a funk, winning just three of their last nine games. They can look squarely at their offense, which ranks 306th out of 351 Division I teams in terms of shooting accuracy.

The uglier the game, the more likely it is the Gamecocks will thrive. Despite a lack of traditional size and just 41.6% shooting as a team, the Gamecocks have taken on Coach Frank Martin’s hard-nosed personality, finishing fifth nationally in turnovers forced per game (17.4) and second in three-point field goal defense (29.2%).

Guard Sindarius Thornwell was named SEC Player of the Year. Thornwell led the SEC in scoring in league games this season with 22.1 points per game, while he was sixth with 7.5 rebounds per league game and first with 2.4 steals. He posted 11 20-point games during league action, which included a 34-point outing at Kentucky, and an historic 44-point performance against Alabama.

The Gamecocks failed to cover the spread in nine of the team’s final ten games entering the NCAA tournament. This is South Carolina’s first trip to the Dance since March 2004. Carolina holds an all-time record of 4-9 in NCAA Tournament games, with its last win coming in the 1973 East Regional Consolation versus Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana Lafayette).

South Carolina’s Martin is 6-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, with all of those contests coming while he was the head coach at Kansas State. South Carolina is 1-2 in neutral site contests this season, as the Gamecocks upset then-No. 18/16 Syracuse at the Barclays Center on Nov. 26, before suffering a three-point loss to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12 and a loss on March 10 to Alabama in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals in Nashville.

Marquette vs South Carolina Free Pick: South Carolina Gamecocks

This game is essentially a pick’em, but go with the Gamecocks as they will have the fan support.

Previous Betting News

The sixth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will look to find the consistency they’ve been missing all month while shoring up their March Madness seeding prognosis when they visit the NC State Wolfpack in an intriguing ACC clash that gets underway on Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET, live from PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Now, let’s find out why this contest is offering a ton of value for college hoops betting fans everywhere.

How To Bet The No. 6 North Carolina vs. NC State NCAAB Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
TV: ESPN3
NCAAB Odds: TBA

Why Bet The North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina (22-5 SU, 11-15 ATS) laid a huge, 96-71 smackdown on No. 12 Miami on Saturday to easily cover the spread as a 7.5-point home favorite one game after suffering a heartbreaking loss against No. 20 Duke. “I wanted to make sure there’s no “Woe is me,'” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said afterward.

Forward Brice Johnson scored a team-high 16 points and forward Justin Jackson added 15 points to help Carolina bounce back from their crushing loss against rival Duke. “We’re just learning from our mistakes,” forward Isaiah Hicks said. “Lost by one (to Duke) so that means the little things come and factor in.”

The Tar Heels shot a blistering 54.9 from the field against Miami. “The ball really went in for us and our depth really wore them down,” Williams said.

Why Bet The North Carolina State Wolfpack

The inconsistent Wolfpack (14-13 SU, 13-11 ATS) got past Clemson in its 77-74 win on Saturday to narrowly cash in as a 2-point home favorite and improve to a blistering 51 ATS over its last six games. Forward Abdul-Malik Abu scored 17 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead North Carolina State to victory while guard Maverick Rowan scored a team-high 20 points and forward Caleb Martin added 16 points.

The good news for the Wolfpack and their betting backers coming into this contest is the fact that NC State has won three straight home games.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

North Carolina averages almost nine points per game more than NC State while simultaneously limiting their opponents to 3.2 fewer points per game defensively. Having said that, I believe the Heels will be favored by about seven or eight points in this contest, but it won’t matter much as North Carolina gets the double-digit win.

I know the Tar Heels are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall and an uninspiring 0-4 ATS in their last four road games, but NC State is just 1-4 ATS in their last five home games against a team with a winning road record and 1-5 ATS in their last six games following an SU win.

The Home team in this lengthy rivalry is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings and the Tar Heels are 0-4 ATS in the last four games against their in-state rivals, but I’m backing the deeper and more talent-laden Heels to put a big dent in those trends by getting the big road win in this contest.

My final score prediction: North Carolina 83 NC State 75