The Big East and ACC were two of the best conferences in college basketball this season. Two of the better teams from each will face off in the first round of March Madness. The No. 8 seed Seton Hall Pirates match up against the No. 9 seed North Carolina State Wolfpack.
They have similar resumes, each doing a nice job in conference play against some of the best teams in the country. Seton Hall will likely be a slight favorite in this game, although 8-9 seed matchups are oftentimes coin flips.
The winner of this game will likely take on Kansas in the next round. The Jayhawks have been inconsistent enough this season that an upset there isn’t out of the question, so both Seton Hall and North Carolina State would love to get this win and wrap up the weekend as a Sweet Sixteen participant. This one could come down to the final minutes.
Don't miss the hardwood action from Intrust Bank Arena at 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on TBS.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Seton Hall is 21-11 straight up and has covered in half of its 32 games against the spread. The Pirates have covered in three of their four attempts on a neutral court this year. Seton Hall is 10-12 against the spread as the favorite.
North Carolina State is also 21-11 straight up and has covered in 14 of its 28 games, so these teams are remarkably similar. The Wolfpack has not fared as well on neutral courts, covering in only one of four chances. North Carolina State has gone 7-6 against the spread as the underdog this season.
Key Stat
One. That’s the margin of defeat for Seton Hall in each of its past two losses. They both came against solid competition, with the first a 69-68 loss to Villanova near the end of the regular season. The Wildcats are entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and are the favorites to win the national championship, so it was impressive for Seton Hall to stay with them throughout.
The other nail-biting loss came to Butler in the conference tournament by a score of 75-74 last time out. Even though Seton Hall was on the wrong side of these outcomes, it proved the ability to hang with upper-tier competition.
The Pirates have won four of their past six games overall including those two close losses, so they should be feeling good entering March Madness.
Player To Watch
Omer Yurtseven — NC State’s big man will be the team’s biggest threat inside. The 7-foot sophomore is averaging 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in addition to 13.8 points.
Yurtseven is shooting 57.6 percent from the field this season. He had 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament and finished with a season-high five blocks against Louisville in the game before that.
Yurtseven will be facing off against Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado in this one. The senior center has been huge for the Pirates on the boards, averaging 11.6 rebounds a game, so this will be a good matchup to watch.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
These teams have pretty similar resumes and identical records heading into this one. While neither won their respective conferences, both finished above .500 and among the best, next to some storied programs. Seton Hall is ever-so-slightly more talented and will come away with the win, but this one should be close.
Keep an eye on the spread in this one. If the Pirates are too big of favorites in NCAA Basketball betting lines, consider taking North Carolina State to cover even if it can’t quite pull out the victory. March Madness is known for its buzzer beaters and don’t be surprised if Seton Hall puts one down as time expires to move on to the second round in thrilling fashion.
NCAA Odds: Seton Hall 77, North Carolina State 75
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