NCAA Tournament Betting: NC State vs. Marquette Picks, Prop Bets and Odds

Very few things on the sports calendar can match the excitement and unpredictability of the NCAA Tournament. So why not add betting to the mix via the college basketball odds at FanDuel Sportsbook?

The 2024 edition of the big dance has arrived, and here at FanDuel Research, we'll have you covered with a betting guide for each game.

While the first week of the NCAA Tournament is always exciting, chalks have been the name of the game entering the Sweet 16. Every program that remains in contention is a 6 seed or higher -- that is except for the 11 seed NC State Wolfpack.

Can the lone Cinderella team make a push to the Elite Eight, or will the 2 seed Marquette Golden Eagles come out on top this Friday?

All college basketball odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook, and lines may change after this article is published.

NCAA Tournament Betting Picks

NC State vs. Marquette Betting Odds

Date and Time: Friday, March 29th at 7:09 p.m. ET

Spread: Marquette -6.5 (-110)

Total: 150.5

Moneyline:

• NC State: +215
• Marquette: -265

NC State vs. Marquette Statistical Breakdown

Advanced stats from KenPom, Bart Torvik and numberFire.

NC State Wolfpack

• numberFire Ranking: 54th
• Bart Torvik Ranking: 56th
• KenPom Ranking: 53rd
  • Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 75th
  • Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 42nd
  • Adjusted Tempo Ranking: 148th

Marquette Golden Eagles

• numberFire Ranking: 13th
• Bart Torvik Ranking: 10th
• KenPom Ranking: 13th
  • Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 21st
  • Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 19th
  • Adjusted Tempo Ranking: 93rd

NC State vs. Marquette Best Bet

Marquette -6.5 (-110)

Momentum has been everything for NC State.

The Wolfpack's 9-11 ACC record left little hope for a tournament bid. But after pulling off an unlikely ACC Tournament win, NC State has danced their way to the Sweet 16.

They won seven games in just 12 days, but will five days of rest leading into this round rid the Wolfpack of some of their shine?

Perhaps. This might not bode well against a talented and clean-cut Marquette team.

Marquette, a team that ranks in the top 25 on both offense and defense, received a friendly Sweet 16 draw after the Kentucky Wildcats were upset in the Round of 64. NC State (53rd) is the only team left that does not rank in the top 23 of KenPom's ratings.

Led by senior guard Tyler Kolek, the Golden Eagles are very efficient on both ends of the court. Kolek ranks eighth (out of 3,003 players) on EvanMiya's Bayesian Performance Rating (BPR), which is used to measure a player's overall value on the court. NC State does not have a player that ranks in the top 240 of BPR.

While Kolek's scoring and playmaking abilities make him one of the best leaders in college basketball, Kam Jones has been equally important for Marquette, scoring 28 and 18 points in the first two rounds of the tourney.

Jones and Kolek make up one of the best backcourts in the country, and they aren't done making noise. After an injury forced Kolek to sit out of the Big East tournament, the Golden Eagles are now fully-armored and in an upward swing at the perfect time.

NC State, on the other hand, could come back down to Earth this Friday. While we should give credit where credit is due, the Wolfpack's 79-73 second-round victory over an Oakland team that ranks 129th on KenPom was not a high-caliber matchup. Marquette, meanwhile, topped a 22nd-ranked Colorado team in the second round.

The Golden Eagles turn the ball over at the 28th-lowest rate while they force turnovers at the 19th-highest rate. NC State protects the ball, too, ranking 9th in turnover rate, but they rank just 132nd in forced turnover percentage.

DJ Burns Jr., one of the biggest stars to emerge in the first week of the tournament, has been key for the Wolfpack. He scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Oakland. But while Marquette may not seem like a physical team, I'd expect Oso Ighodaro to give Burns a tough time in the interior.

Ighodaro not only has the height advantage over Burns, but he also ranks 34th (out of 3,003 players) in Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating, which measures the defensive value that a player brings his team.

Marquette's well-run offense should be firing on all cylinders against the third-worst defense that remains in the NCAA Tournament. Ighodaro seems well-suited to cover Burns, so I'd look for NC State's respectable tournament run to come to an end this Friday.

BartTorvik's projections expect Marquette to win this one by a score of 79-72, concurring that Marquette -6.5 could be the best bet for this game.

NC State vs. Marquette Prop Bet

DJ Horne 3+ Made Threes (+102)

Since I think Marquette can win this game by three possessions and shut down DJ Burns, a solid path might be paved for NC State's three-point shooters to get going.

Marquette lets up a ton of threes, ranking 338th (out of 362 teams) in defensive three-point rate. NC State doesn't rely on the three-ball, ranking 281st in three-point rate, but a come-from-behind scenario and a matchup that favors outside shooting has me interested in DJ Horne's made threes prop.

While DJ Burns has received plenty of attention in NC State's tournament run, DJ Horne is their go-to guy. He scores a team-leading 16.7 points per game and shoots the three-ball at a solid 40.6% clip.

He has nailed at least three three-pointers in 51.6% of his games this season (when he played at least 28 minutes), so I'm happy with these +102 odds, which suggest just a 49.5% probability.

Burns is no stranger to foul trouble, and in a matchup that reeks of three-point potential, I want to be backing Horne.

Plus, backing Horne would not undermine siding with a Marquette cover. NC State has gone 7-9 in games where Horne cleared this prop.

New to FanDuel Sportsbook? You have a chance to get $200 in Bonus Bets if your first bet wins—valid across all sports until April 9th! See the promotions page for more information.

Looking for more NCAA basketball betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming college basketball odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.