NC State vs. Texas Tech March Madness Preview and Prediction
In the No. 11 vs. No. 6 matchup in the NCAA Tournament South Region, the NC State Wolfpack face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in first-round action.
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How to Watch NC State vs. Texas Tech
When: 9:40 pm ET on Thursday, March 21st
Where: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Watch: CBS
Odds for NC State vs. Texas Tech
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: Texas Tech -5.5
Total: 145.5
DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | NC State vs. Texas Tech Matchup
South Region No. 11 NC State Wolfpack
NC State shocked the world in winning the ACC tournament, beating Duke in the quarterfinals and North Carolina in the championship game. The Wolfpack are a tricky team to play against, as DJ Burns Jr. is a massive body that throws his weight around near the rim. And DJ Horne is an explosive scorer at the guard position, while Mohamed Diarra is a physical big that does the dirty work. Overall, there’s no denying that NC State has some talent, and Kevin Keatts is a smart head coach. So, you can’t rule out the possibility of the Wolfpack winning a few games, especially after what they just did. However, it’s important to note that you can’t throw away what you saw in the regular season. And for most of the year, the Wolfpack didn’t crack the top 50 in offensive efficiency and were outside the top 100 in defense.
South Region No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders
It didn’t take Grant McCasland long to get the Red Raiders back on track. After six great years with North Texas, McCasland took over a Texas Tech team that went 16-15 overall and 5-13 in conference play under Kevin Adams last year. McCasland has also reshaped the identity of this program. The Red Raiders have been more of a defensive-minded group in the past, but McCasland has them in the top 25 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Texas Tech is a very good 3-point shooting team, and the team still does a good job competing on the defensive end. The latter is impacted greatly by the fact that the Red Raiders don’t foul very often. Pop Isaacs is the player to watch here, as he runs the show for Texas Tech. And he’s surrounded by several other good players, with most being high-profile transfers.
NC State vs. Texas Tech Preview & Prediction
One of the more interesting talking points heading into the NCAA Tournament is how a bid stealer and surprise conference tournament champion will fare. NC State had lost seven of nine regular season games before heading to Washington D.C. for the ACC Tournament. Five wins in five days later, they’re a No. 11 seed poised to take on Texas Tech.
The turnaround to take the floor isn’t all that quick and the trip from Raleigh to Pittsburgh isn’t that daunting, but it is a pretty big lift for the Wolfpack. Grant McCasland’s Red Raiders weren’t nearly as slow-paced or as aggressive in pursuit of turnovers as his North Texas teams were, but they shined in 3P% differential and that will cover up a lot of other potential issues. As a top-50 team in adjusted defensive efficiency and a top-25 team in adjusted offensive efficiency, the metrics are favorable.
The saving grace for NC State here is that they do take excellent care of the basketball. This is an extremely experienced team. But, that may only go so far, as McCasland gave positive updates on both 7-footer Warren Washington and sophomore Darrion Williams during his Sunday press conference.
Washington changes a lot of dynamics for Texas Tech as a rim protector and elite rebounder, so this is a situation to monitor closely as Thursday’s tip-off approaches.
Estimated Score: Texas Tech 74, NC State 71
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