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NCAA Tournament Odds, Picks & Predictions: First Round (Thursday)

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March Madness is here and it’s time for one of the most exciting tournaments in all of sports. There are a lot of powerhouses looking good leading up to the tournament and potential Cinderella stories. It all starts on Round 1 Day 1, so let’s look at some important matchups for today.

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Best Bets For The NCAA Tournament First Round (Thursday)

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

No. 11 NC State vs. No. 6 Texas Tech (-5) / O/U 145.5 (-110/-110)

NC State is coming in as one of the hottest teams in the country. They ran through the ACC Tournament as the No. 10 seed and beat the top three seeds of Duke, North Carolina and Virginia to win it all. Sometimes, in this one-and-done style tournament, it isn't about how good you are but how hot you are.

This team doesn't have a lot of size, but they have a veteran presence in the backcourt with two fifth-year seniors (DJ Horne, Casey Morsell) and DJ Burns Jr. at the wing, each averaging double-digit points. The experience helps them play smart as their 9.6 turnovers per game is 15th in the country.

Texas Tech is just below average in turnovers forced, so that will help the Wolf Pack have a clean game. They'll need to get as many possessions as possible because the Red Raiders have a few players they look to score. Pop Isaacs will handle the ball a lot as he finished third in the Big 12 averaging 16.1 points, and Joe Toussaint has a lot of options both in the back and front court, and they will need to find mismatches.

Tech's size helps them on the boards, so State needs to pressure them at half-court on defense, drive the lane on offense to draw fouls. The Wolfpack has all the makings of a Cinderella story, and it starts here.

Pick: NC State +5 (-112)

No. 14 Akron vs. No. 3 Creighton (-12.5) / O/U 141.5 (-108/-112)

Akron is very fortunate to be dancing after the circumstances of their tournament win. Kent State had a one-point lead in the MAC Championship with eight seconds left. Akron inbounded the ball only for the Golden Flashes' Julius Rollins to forget the score and intentionally foul Greg Tribble. Tribble hit both free throws and Akron won.

They got a tough assignment going against Creighton in the first round. Playing in the competitive Big East, this team was tested throughout the season, and they finished with a respectable 15-9 record between Quad 1 & 2 opponents. 

This team is not shy about shooting the ball, especially from deep, as their 29.3 attempts per game were eighth in the nation. The Blue Jays are efficient at moving the ball and finding Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman or Steven Ashworth from behind the arc, and all three are shooting over 33% from three.

Akron likes to shoot themselves, but Creighton isn't a team that will let them have easy attempts, as they're 93rd in points allowed and 76th in defensive efficiency.

Pick: Creighton -12.5 (-110)

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More 2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket Pool Strategy & Picks

Below we provide strategy, advice, and picks to create the optimal NCAA Tournament bracket. And be sure to use our FREE bracket optimizer to build a winning men’s NCAA tournament bracket and take down your contest!

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:

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