Texas Tech vs. NC State: 2024 NCAA Tournament Odds, Preview & Predictions
March Madness is officially here! The 2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let's take a look at the early odds, preview, and predictions for the 2024 NCAA Tournament game: Texas Tech vs. NC State. And make sure to check out our 2024 NCAA Tournament Bracket Optimizer to take down your pools!
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2024 NCAA Tournament Odds, Preview & Predictions: Texas Tech vs. NC State
Here are odds and team previews for each of the two squads in this opening-round matchup of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Texas Tech 2024 NCAA Tournament Preview
With an offense ranked 23rd in KenPom efficiency and a defense ranked 46th, Texas Tech is surprisingly close to the “top 20/top 45†golden ranking for 25 of the last 26 champions on Selection Sunday. Their all-around game is nice, with some capable perimeter shooting by Darrion Williams, Kerwin Walton, and Chance McMillian, all at or above 40% from deep on the season. Pop Isaacs and Joe Toussaint make up a solid frontcourt and you can trust Tech late in games with the 15th-best free throw percentage in the league.
It’s not as if their defense is spectacular, but limiting the perimeter look and limited fouling is promising for the Red Raiders. The problem with their defense is that it handled lesser teams and struggled against the more competitive ones. Tech’s defense fell outside the top 100 when facing top-100 opponents as they fell to UCF, Houston twice, and Cincinnati. When facing teams who lean heavily on offense, like BYU or Baylor, Texas Tech steps up their game. Otherwise, there aren’t many impressive wins on their resume. Grant McCasland’s squad will have to get a promising draw for a deep tourney run or figure out how to handle elite defenses. It’s been done before and wouldn’t be very surprising to see it happen again, it’s just always easier said than done.
NC State 2024 NCAA Tournament Preview
The Wolfpack secured an automatic NCAA tournament bid, upsetting expectations and ensuring the ACC sends at least four teams to the tournament, joining UNC, Duke and Clemson. Offensively, NC State boasts a potent attack. They excel in limiting breakaway opportunities for their opponents, ranking top-five nationally in potential breakaway points allowed off steals. Additionally, they capitalize on free throw opportunities. This was seen in the conference final, where DJ Horne led with 29 points while the other DJ, Burns Jr., contributed 20, even sinking his first college career three-pointer.
Defensively, NC State maintains a similar level of performance as their offense. They thrive on scoring easy points off steals, ranking in the top 25 in potential points off breakaway steals. Furthermore, they prioritize avoiding fouls and limiting opponents’ free throw opportunities, ranking top-60 nationally in defensive free throw attempt rate. Overall, NC State’s defense may be a limiting factor, but there may not be a team playing better ball or with more energy, as the Wolfpack ranks 23rd in the momentum metric from Haslametrics. DJ Burns Jr. will have to play at an elite level, and luck will have to fall their way, but we’ve seen power conference double-digit seeds surprise in the tournament before. Don’t be shocked if NC State is one of them.
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2024 NCAA Tournament Sports Betting Picks
Now that the 2024 NCAA Tournament brackets have been announced, it’s time to make your sports betting picks to increase the excitement of March Madness. Let's take a look at the early odds and picks for the 2024 NCAA Tournament
EAST REGION
- UCONN v Stetson (1v16)
- Iowa St. v South Dakota St. (2v15)
- Illinois v Morehead St. (3v14)
- Auburn v Yale (4v13)
- San Diego St. v UAB (5v12)
- BYU v Duquesne (6v11)
- Washington St. v Drake (7v10)
- Florida Atlantic v Northwestern (8v9)
MIDWEST REGION
- Montana St/Grambling St PLAY IN
- Virginia/Colorado St. PLAY IN
- Tennessee vs. Saint Peter’s (2v15)
- Creighton vs. Akron (3v14)
- Kansas vs. Samford (4v13)
- Gonzaga vs. McNeese (5v12)
- South Carolina vs. Oregon (6v11)
- Utah St. vs. TCU (8v9)
SOUTH REGION
- Boise St./Colorado PLAY IN
- Houston vs. Longwood (1v16)
- Marquette vs. Western Kentucky (2v15)
- Kentucky vs. Oakland (3v14)
- Duke vs. Vermont (4v13)
- Wisconsin vs. James Madison (5v12)
- Texas Tech vs. NC State (6v11)
- Nebraska vs. Texas A&M (8v9)
WEST REGION
- Howard/Wagner PLAY IN
- Arizona vs. Long Beach St. (2v15)
- Baylor vs. Colgate (3v14)
- Alabama vs. Charleston (4v13)
- Saint Mary’s vs. Grand Canyon (5v12)
- Clemson vs. New Mexico (6v11)
- Dayton vs. Nevada (7v10)
- Mississippi St. vs. Michigan St. (8v9)
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!