Texas vs. NC State Prediction, Odds, Key Player to Watch for NCAA Tournament First Four

The Texas Longhorns and NC State Wolfpack will face each other in an intriguing SEC vs. ACC showdown on Tuesday night with a berth in the Round of 64 on the line. The winner will take on the BYU Cougars on Thursday night.

Both teams stumbled down the stretch of their seasons, but they can erase the bad finish if they bring their best stuff in this First Four matchup.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet.

Texas vs. NC State Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Texas +1.5 (-120)
NC State -1.5 (+110)

Moneyline

Texas -105
NC State -115

Total

OVER 158.5 (-115)
UNDER 158.5 (-105)

Texas vs. NC State How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 17
Game Time: 9:15 pm ET
Venue: UD Arena
How to Watch (TV): truTV
Texas Record: 18-14
NC State Record: 20-13

Texas vs. NC State Betting Trends

Texas is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games
The OVER is 7-3 in Texas's last 10 games
Texas is 0-5 ATS in its last five games played in March
NC State is 1-5 ATS in its last six games
The OVER is 5-0 in NC State's last five games

Texas vs. NC State Key Player to Watch

Dailyn Swain, G - Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns will go as far as Dailyn Swain can take them. He's leading Texas in several categories, including points per game (17.8), rebounds per game (7.6), assists per game (3.4), and steals per game (1.7). When he brings his best stuff, the Longhorns are tough to beat.

Texas vs. NC State Prediction and Pick

In the First Four edition of The Road to Final Four, I broke down why I'm betting the OVER in this game:

Both these teams are better offensively than defensively, and they also both have great offensive matchups ahead of them. They rank 35th and 62nd in effective field goal percentage, while also ranking 209th and 245th in defensive efficiency.

NC State ranks in the top 100 in three-point shot rate, and now the Wolfpack gets to face a Texas defense that ranks 299th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 36% from beyond the arc.

Texas leans more toward two-point shots, while NC State ranks 226th in opponent two-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 52.8% from two-point range.

Let's bet the OVER in this SEC vs. ACC showdown.

Pick: OVER 158.5 (-115)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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