North Carolina State Wolfpack vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/21/2024

Game Time: 9:40 pm ET, Thursday, March 21, 2024

Venue:  PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NCSU +5.5, Texas Tech -5.5; Over/Under:  145.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NCSU +5.5, Texas Tech -5.5; Over/Under:  145.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NCSU +5.5, Texas Tech -5.5; Over/Under:  145.5 points

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  22-14 (9-11) (10th place, ACC)

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  23-10 (11-7) (4th place, Big 12)

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North Carolina State Wolfpack:  5-0  last 5

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  4-1  last 5

NC State is entering this game with a 22-14 record overall, a 9-11 record in conference games, and they are 6-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the North Carolina Tar Heels in their last game. DJ Horne led the team in points per game in that game with 29 while DJ Burns Jr. was next on the team with 20. DJ Burns Jr. led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Mohamed Diarra led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 54.9% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 75.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.7 PPG against them. NC State has an ATS record of 17-18-1 this season and their O/U record is 21-14-1.

Texas Tech is entering this game with a 23-10 record overall, an 11-7 conference record, and they are 4-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Houston Cougars in their last game. Chance McMillian led the team in points in that game with 15 while Joe Toussaint and Eemeli Yalaho each were next on the team with 10. Joe Toussaint led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Chance McMillian, Robert Jennings, and Lamar Washington each led the team in rebounds with 5. They were 33.3% from the field, 31.8% from 3-point range, and 91.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.3 PPG against them. Texas Tech has an ATS record of 15-17-1 this season and their O/U record is 19-14.

The current betting odds have Texas Tech listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Texas Tech has looked good in their games this season with their 23-10 record overall and their 11-7 conference record in the Big 12 which had them in the top half of the conference. They have also looked good in their neutral site games this season with their 4-2 record in those. Meanwhile, NC State hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 22-14 record overall and their 9-11 conference record which had them in the bottom half of the ACC. They have looked great in their neutral site games with their 6-2 record in those, but a lot of that was from them getting hot in the ACC Tournament and securing the NCAA bid when they aren't really a team that deserves to be here. They are also going to be tired from winning the ACC Tournament last week as they had to win 5 games in a row in 5 days. Texas Tech didn't win in their conference tournament but they were stopped by Houston in their semi-final and they have still been a really hot team lately with their 4-1 record in their last 5 games. The best way to place a bet here is on Texas Tech to cover the spread in this game.

North Carolina State Texas Tech Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, March 21, 2024 (9:40 pm ET start time) is Texas Tech 71 NC State 62.

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North Carolina State Wolfpack: 16-22 ATS in a postseason tournament game. 14-28 ATS after 5 or more consecutive wins. 14-25 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 14-7 OVER in all neutral court games. 12-5 OVER when the total is 140 to 149.5. 9-4 OVER after a game forcing the opponent to commit 8 or less turnovers.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: 7-2 ATS off a loss by 10 points or more to a conference rival. 23-13 ATS after 2 straight games - attempting 10+ more free throws than the opponent. 10-5 OVER when the total is 140 to 149.5. 10-5 OVER after a game where they made 78% of their free throws or better. 10-1 OVER after playing a game as an underdog.

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  D. Parker Jr. (G) Out indefinitely - Illness. L. Thomas (G) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. M. Rice (G) out for season - Redshirt.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  K. Lindsay (G) Ques Thurs - Undisclosed. W. Washington (F) Out indefinitely - Foot. D. Cambridge (F) out for season - Knee.

"Winning five games in five nights is a miracle. We've got to get some rest because, guess what, we're going to the NCAA tournament." - Kevin Keatts after his team’s win against UNC in their last game of the ACC Tournament on Saturday.

“What a fantastic team Houston is. We knew going into the game that we had to play our best to give ourselves a chance to win.” - Grant McCasland after his team’s loss against Houston in their last game of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday.

D. Burns 

D. Horne 

C. Morsell 

D. Parker, Jr. 

J. Taylor

P. Isaacs 

J. Toussaint 

K. Walton 

W. Washington 

D. Williams

PPG: D. Horne (16.8)

APG: M. O'Connell (3)

Reb/G: M. Diarra (6.6)

PPG: P. Isaacs (16)

APG: J. Toussaint (4.4)

Reb/G: D. Williams (7.6)

Coaches:

North Carolina State Wolfpack: Kevin Keatts (7th season)

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Grant McCasland (1st season)