The lone double-digit seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 is ACC Tournament champion NC State as the No. 11 Wolfpack face No. 2 Marquette of the Big East in South Region action from Dallas on Friday with MU as a solid favorite.

NC State beat Marquette in the 1974 national championship game in Greensboro, N.C. The two schools have met four times since 1974, with a 2-2 split. The Pack took a 77-73 win in Milwaukee in the most recent matchup, in the 2009-10 season.

NC State Wolfpack vs. Marquette Golden Eagles 2024 March Madness Sweet 16 Game Information

Next stop: Sweet 16 @MarquetteMBB advance to the next round after their win against Colorado on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/aWLmwoZ28s

— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 25, 2024

• When: Friday, March 29th, 2024 at 7:09 pm ET
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• TV: CBS
• Radio: NOW 100.7 FM (NC State) // 102.3 FM (Marquette)
• Live Stream: March Madness Live
• NCAAB Betting Odds: NC State (+6.5) // Marquette (-6.5)

Why Bet on the NC State Wolfpack?

No. 11 seed NC State (24-14) would not be in the 2024 NCAA Tournament if not for winning five games in five days to capture the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack have stayed hot in the Dance, beating No. 6 Texas Tech by 13 in Round 1 and then holding off No. 14 Oakland 79-73 in OT in Round 2 on Saturday.

DJ Burns, Jr., led the Pack with his second double-double of the season as he scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while also passing out four assists. Burns is the first NC State player since 1985 to record a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in the NCAA Tournament. He finished the game 9-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the foul line.

Like Burns, Mohamed Diarra also posted a double-double as he scored 11 points and pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds. It’s Diarra’s fourth double-double in the last five games. Michael O’Connell added 12 points and Casey Morsell and DJ Horne each chipped in 11 points.

In overtime, Oakland had a 69-68 with 2:25 left when the Pack took control. Burns started the run with a put-back lay-up to put NC State in front. After a defensive stop, DJ Horne made a jumper to push NC State’s advantage to three. Oakland made one free throw to get back within two, but Burns found Jayden Taylor for a three-pointer to give NC State a 75-70 lead with 1:13 to play. NC State outscored Oakland in points in the paint, 36-24, and the Pack passed out a season-high tying 19 assists in the win. The Wolfpack are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015.

“Our guys were tremendous,” Coach Kevin Keatts said. “We made big plays when we had to have big plays. I thought one of the biggest things for us was our character really shined through when we needed it. We stepped up in many ways. We had to get big stops. We had to get big baskets. At times things weren’t going our way. And it just shows you the growth of, obviously, this team and how they’re locked in and they’re focused, and their love for one another and how they play for one another, it’s been very impressive. This run we’ve been on is really, really good.”

NC State became just the second team to win five games in five days to win its conference tournament, joining the 2011 UConn Huskies. There are six ACC teams that have won an NCAA National Championship. NC State is one of them. It beat the other five on its run to the ACC Tournament title (Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina). – This is the Pack’s second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 29th all-time. NC State has an all-time record of 39-26 in the NCAA Tournament.

Why Bet on the Marquette Golden Eagles?

No. 2 Marquette (27-9) easily handled No. 15 Western Kentucky in Round 1 and edged No. 10 Colorado 81-77 in Round 2 on Sunday. The Buffs trailed 79-77 and had to foul three times before putting David Joplin on the line for a 1-and-1. He knocked down both to clinch it.

Guard Kam Jones led the way offensively with 18 points and All-American guard Tyler Kolek chipped in 21 points and 11 assists for his second-straight double-double and seventh of the season. Kolek is the third player in the last 10 years with a combined 30 points and 20 assists in two NCAA tournament games (Markquis Nowell – Kansas Stats – 3 times, 2023, Ja Morant – Murray State, 2019).

With the win, the Golden Eagles advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time in school history and first since 2013. It is the first time that Coach Shaka Smart has taken a team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2012, when he was at VCU.

“So grateful for our guys just hanging in there,” Smart said after the CU win. “There were so many moments that we could have cracked, been through a lot of adversity this year. Getting this guy (Tyler Kolek) back at the right time was perfect for us. He led the way and his belief and toughness really translated to our other guys.”

Kolek, averaging 15.3 points, has size and strength at 6-3 and 195 pounds and terrific court awareness. He led Division I in assists with 7.9 a game. Jones leads MU in scoring at 17 points per game. He has shot 3-pointers at a 41% clip and is the perfect complement for Kolek in the backcourt. Jones has had four games with 30 or more points this season.

Heading into the Sweet 16, Marquette ranks No. 20 20 in the country in defensive turnover rate according to KenPom.com, prompting a turnover on over 21% of possessions. However, NC State turns it over on just 13.7% of its possessions, and that’s 10th in the country per KenPom.

NC State vs. Marquette State Betting Trends

• NC State is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games.
• Wolfpack are 7-0 SU in its last 7 games.
• The total went over in 10 of North Carolina State’s last 15 games.
• Marquette is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 games.
• Golden Eagles are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
• The total went under in 4 of Marquette’s last 6 games played on a Friday when at home.

NC State vs. Marquette 2024 Sweet 16 Expert Prediction

NC State takes the win on Friday night and heads into the Elite Eight.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2024 March Madness Tournament previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest college basketball odds on our online Crypto sportsbook.

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