March Madness: NC State vs. Marquette odds, picks and predictions

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The NC State Wolfpack (24-14) and Marquette Golden Eagles (27-9) meet Friday in Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from the American Airlines Center is slated for 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the NC State vs. Marquette odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.

The NC State was fitted for Cinderella’s slipper in the 1st 2 rounds, upending No. 6 seed Texas Tech, before fighting No. 14-seed Oakland for the role. The 11th-seeded Wolfpack won 80-67, and covered (+5), against the Red Raiders in the 1st round. It took a little extra work to vanquish the Golden Grizzlies, winning 79-73 in overtime, while Oakland (+6.5) picked up the backdoor cover at most shops on a late bucket in the extra session.

Second-seeded Marquette was in firm control against No. 15 seed Western Kentucky from the jump, winning 87-69 in the 1st round, while covering a 15-point number. In the 2nd round, No. 10 seed Colorado gave the Golden Eagles all they could handle before managing an 81-77 win, just missing the cover by a half-point.

Marquette was No. 8 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll of the regular season, while NC State was unranked.

NC State vs. Marquette odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7:23 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): NC State +225 (bet $100 to win $225) | Marquette -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
Against the spread: NC State +6.5 (-110) | Marquette -6.5 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 150.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

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NC State vs. Marquette and predictions

Prediction

Marquette 76, NC State 72

Moneyline

Marquette (-275) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return, and that’s way too expensive either straight up, or as part of a multi-team parlay. Plus, picking against NC State (+225) has proven dangerous lately, as the Wolfpack has won straight up as an underdog in 5 straight in the postseason.

AVOID, and look to the spread instead.

Against the spread

NC STATE +6.5 (-110) is worth a play as the underdog. In fact, in its historic postseason run, winning 7 games in 11 days from March 12-23, the Wolfpack covered all 5 times as an underdog, and the only time it failed to cover was the 2 times it was favored.

Marquette -6.5 (-110) has its hands full in this game. It hopes this goes better than the last time these teams faced each other in the NCAA Tournament, as NC State won the national championship game 76-64 in 1974. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and the Golden Eagles should move on, but not without a scare from the upstart Wolfpack.

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Over/Under

UNDER 150.5 (-105) is a strong play in this Sweet 16 battle.

While the Over has cashed in 3 of the past 4 postseason games for NC State, 2 of those Over results were due to games going to overtime. The Under is still 3-3 in the past 6 games, with NC State clamping down to allowing 69 or fewer points in 4 of the past 6 outings, including the 1st round vs. Texas Tech.

Marquette has cashed the Under in 2 of the past 3 games, although it has averaged 84.0 PPG in 2 NCAA Tournament games. It should still have its hands full trying to solve NC State’s chaotic and suffocating defense.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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