Oakland vs. NC State Expert Pick, Prediction for Round 2

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: March 23, 2024 4:50 PM EDT • 2 min 41 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

The 11th-seeded NC State Wolfpack meet the 14th-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, as we offer our best Oakland vs. NC State expert pick and prediction based on the best March Madness odds.

After pulling off a pair of big upsets in the first round, the No. 14 seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-11) and No. 11 seed NC State Wolfpack (23-14) face off in a rare March Madness matchup between double-digit seeds. The South Region showdown is scheduled to tip off at 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

The Wolfpack enter this one as the favorite across our best sports betting sites after upending Texas Tech in the first round, which came on the heels of its miracle run in the ACC Tournament. Oakland enjoyed its own first-round magic, knocking down 15 threes to take down Kentucky in a monumental upset that shook up the latest March Madness odds and Final Four odds.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best Oakland vs. NC State expert pick (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Oakland vs. NC State odds

Oakland (14) vs. NC State (11) expert pick: South Region

Oakland +6.5 ⭐⭐⭐

Odds: -115 via Betway

On paper, it makes sense that NC State is favored in this matchup as an ACC school riding a six-game win streak. But I'd be mighty leery of laying this many points on a team that isn't elite by any means - especially against an opponent that can shoot it like Oakland.

The Golden Grizzlies hit 15 threes in that first-round win over Kentucky, tied for their most in any game this season. But they'd buried at least eight threes in 10 of their previous 13 games and hit 14-plus in four of them, while tournament hero Jack Gohlke hit a combined 12 threes in his last two games before Thursday's 32-point outburst.

That all feels like a major issue for NC State, which features a so-so defense along the perimeter and benefitted from a poor shooting night from Texas Tech in Round 1. I'm also skeptical that the Wolfpack - which owns one of the lowest 3-point attempt rates in the country - is built to survive yet another shoot-out after its exhausting run over the last week.

For all of the focus on DJ Burns (6-9, 275 lbs) as a matchup nightmare for smaller teams, he played just 16 minutes on Thursday and grabbed exactly one rebound with four fouls and four turnovers. If he plays like that against Oakland, I don't see NC State running away with this one like these odds suggest.

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Oakland vs. NC State spread & Over/Under analysis

NC State is dealing as a 6.5-point favorite over Oakland after these two teams pulled off surprising upsets in Round 1. Entering Saturday, the Wolfpack are just 4-8 against the spread when laying that many points with five straight ATS losses in that spot.

The total for this game rests at 144.5, which is a few ticks lower than the final projected score of 77-70 via KenPom. Both of these teams cleared this total in their first-round wins on Thursday.

Oakland vs. NC State game info

When: Saturday, March 23
Tip-off: 7:10 p.m. ET
Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.
How to watch: TBS

Oakland-NC State prediction made Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
C Jackson Cowart

C Jackson Cowart is a publishing editor and lead writer for Sportsbook Review. An award-winning writer, reporter, and editor with a decade of sports media experience, "C-Jax" has worked with ESPN, Forbes, theScore, and various daily newspapers before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina, where he served as a beat writer for the Tar Heels' championship run through the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2017. Jackson has spent the last five years covering sports betting as a predictive analyst, features writer, and industry reporter. Since joining the team in 2023, he's played a key role in Sportsbook Review's coverage of the Super Bowl, March Madness, and NBA playoffs while serving as the lead writer for the growing WNBA and NASCAR betting scenes. Though he's cashed some big bets over the years -- including Lamar Jackson to win MVP (twice) -- he's still haunted by enough second-place bet slips to wallpaper his home office. While Jackson is a committed "process over results" bettor with a keen eye for advanced stats and subtle bias in futures markets, he also embraces sports betting as a vehicle for entertainment and personal investment. He's written about everything from hot dogs to groundhogs and still hasn't forgiven his "inside source" for a sabotaged bet on the Gatorade color in Super Bowl LV.