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

Jack Gohlke #3 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies celebrates as we make our Oakland vs. NC State expert pick and prediction for the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. — Jack Gohlke #3 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies celebrates after making a three pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images via AFP.

In the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, the 11th-seeded NC State Wolfpack will face off against the 14th-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies. We provide our expert pick and prediction for the Oakland vs. NC State matchup, taking into account the top March Madness odds available.

The No. 14 seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-11) and No. 11 seed NC State Wolfpack (23-14) are set to take each other on in an unusual March Madness matchup between double-digit seeds after both teams pulled off big upsets in the first round. The South Region showdown is scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

The Wolfpack are the favored team on our top sports betting sites after defeating Texas Tech in the first round, following their impressive performance in the ACC Tournament. Oakland also had a strong start, hitting 15 three-pointers to defeat Kentucky in a surprising upset that affected March Madness and Final Four odds.

As we make our March Madness predictions, here is our top expert pick for the Oakland vs. NC State match-up, with odds from our recommended March Madness betting sites and confidence rating on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.

Odds for Oakland vs. NC State

Expert pick for the South Region matchup between Oakland (14) and NC State (11): NC State is favored.

Oakland +6.5 ⭐⭐⭐

Odds: -115 via Betway

Although NC State is favored in this matchup due to their six-game win streak as an ACC school, I would caution against putting too much faith in them as they are not considered elite. This is especially true when facing a team like Oakland that has strong shooting capabilities.

The Golden Grizzlies made 15 three-pointers in their first-round victory against Kentucky, which tied their season-high. They had made at least eight three-pointers in 10 of their last 13 games, hitting 14 or more in four of those games. Jack Gohlke, who was a standout in the tournament, had made a total of 12 three-pointers in his last two games leading up to Thursday’s impressive 32-point performance.

All of this seems to be a significant concern for NC State, whose defense on the perimeter is average at best and relied on Texas Tech’s poor shooting performance in the first round. I doubt that the Wolfpack, with one of the lowest 3-point attempt rates in the nation, is equipped to handle another high-scoring game after their tiring week.

Despite the hype surrounding DJ Burns (6-9, 275 lbs) as a difficult matchup for smaller opponents, he only logged 16 minutes on Thursday and managed to secure just one rebound while accumulating four fouls and four turnovers. If he continues to perform poorly against Oakland, NC State may not have an easy victory as the odds indicate.

This product is not intended for use in MAAffiliate Disclosure: Underscoreg Review may earn advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook.

Analysis of the spread and Over/Under for the Oakland vs. NC State game.

NC State is favored by 6.5 points against Oakland, despite both teams pulling off unexpected upsets in the first round. The Wolfpack have struggled to cover the spread when giving that many points, with a 4-8 record and five consecutive ATS losses in that situation.

The total for this game is set at 144.5, slightly below the predicted score of 77-70 by KenPom. Both teams surpassed this total in their first-round victories on Thursday.

Game information for the Oakland vs. NC State matchup

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

Prediction for the Oakland-NC State game was made on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

Pages showing betting odds for March Madness

March Madness Odds	March Madness Predictions	Final Four Odds	March Madness MVP Odds
March Madness Prop Bets	March Madness Upset Picks	March Madness Bracket Guide	March Madness Bracket Predictions
March Madness Bracket Challenges	March Madness betting promos

These are the top March Madness betting sites we recommend:

Use the Caesars Promo Code SBRBONUS1000 and check out our Caesars Review.
BetMGM Review: Enter SBRBONUS for a Bonus Code
Check out our bet365 Review and use the bonus code SBRBONUS.
Check out our BetRivers Review and use the promo code SBRBONUS
Check out our review of FanDuel and use our promo code for special offers.
Check out our DraftKings Review and get your hands on a DraftKings Promo Code.

If you are 21 or older and have a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER. Please note that bonuses are not available in Ontario.

Top Live Betting Sites with the Best Promotions for Underscoreg (U.S. residents only)

Written By:
Morgan Xaviero

Morgan Xaviero is a publishing editor and lead writer for Underscoreg 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 Underscoreg 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 Underscoreg 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.