The NC State Wolfpack and the Marquette Golden Eagles meet Friday in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 college basketball action from American Airlines Center. Here’s an NC State vs Marquette prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. We will examine:
- The NC State recent form and player performance
- The Marquette recent form and player performance
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving NC State
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Marquette
- Recent betting trends in games played between NC State and Marquette
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the NC State vs Marquette game
NC State Wolfpack Betting Preview
The Wolfpack had a rough run to finish off the season, going just 4-10 to finish off the schedule. NC State caught fire in the conference tournament, however, beating Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina. Since then, it’s been wins over Texas Tech and Oakland in the NCAA Tournament. NC State suffered three non-conference defeats this year, one of which came to Tennessee.
Back on Saturday versus Oakland in the Second Round, the Wolfpack had a close call. NC State scored 32 points in the first half, 34 in the second and 13 in overtime on the way to a 79-73 win. Tops in scoring was DJ Burns, doubling up on 24 points and 11 rebounds in 42 minutes of action.
Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Preview
Over on the Marquette side, they hit a 1-2 run in the final three games of the regular season, with losses to Creighton and UConn. The Eagles would beat Villanova and Providence before falling to UConn again in the conference tourney. Marquette has thus far beaten Western Kentucky and Colorado in the national tourney.
Matched up against Colorado in their last appearance, Marquette jumped out to a 45-34 edge by halftime. The Golden Eagles had to hang on after a 43-36 second-half deficit but pulled out the win 81-77 in the end. Leading scorer Tyler Kolek finished with 21 points and 11 assists for a double-double.
Marquette Golden Eagles Team Facts
- Marquette has won each of its last 16 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Each of Marquette’s last 11 night games at a neutral venue have produced a total of 147 or fewer points.
- Marquette has won the first half in eight of its last nine night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
NC State Wolfpack Team Facts
- NC State has won each of its last seven games.
- Ten of NC State’s last 11 night games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 149 or fewer points.
- NC State has lost the first half in seven of its last eight night games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
NC State vs Marquette Prediction
I’ll lean toward Marquette. You could make a case either way, though. The Golden Eagles had a slow second half in the Colorado game, but still managed to hit a nice 61.8 percent from the field. The only real blemishes were the 30-25 rebounding deficit (12-3 offensive) and the 12 turnovers for 10 Buffaloes points. Marquette has scored 79 or more points in four of their last six games, and 71 or more in five of those.
As for NC State, they had a bit of trouble with a pesky Oakland team in their last outing. The Wolfpack ended up playing fairly well, though, notching 45.3 percent from the field with 46 rebounds. That makes 73 or more points in eight straight games, a 7-1 run. I like NC State to hit that mark again here in a high-scoring finish. Should be a fun one to watch, and in the end I think the Eagles will power out the tight cover. The winner of this game will meet Houston or Duke in the next round.