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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Texas-NC State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Texas-NC State.
The SEC has already won the ACC-SEC Challenge, but as that event moves into its second day, what matters for the teams involved is their own standing in the college basketball world. These two teams have a lot to prove. Texas made the Elite Eight in 2023 but could not get back to the Final Four, falling one game short. Notably, Texas lost to an ACC team in that round of eight, falling to the Miami Hurricanes. Now Texas, newly relocated in the SEC, plays an ACC team in this conference-wide series against that particular league. Texas coach Rodney Terry has a group which does not seem likely to match what the 2023 Longhorns did. That 2023 Texas team was a powerhouse, a No. 2 seed which established itself as one of the 10 best teams in the country. This team is not likely to climb to such heights, but if it at least wants to make a run at elite status, it has to beat NC State on the road as a narrow favorite.
We all know about NC State's Cinderella run to the 2024 Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. The Wolfpack's journey to the big stage for the first time since 1983 was every bit as incredible as that 1983 run. It contained so many similarities, beginning with the supremely improbable ACC Tournament championship run which got the Wolfpack into the field. Then NC State created an escape from defeat against Oakland, much as the 1983 Wolfpack were fortunate to avoid getting beaten by Pepperdine in a game they very nearly lost. In 1983, NC State defeated a higher-seeded ACC foe in the Elite Eight, taking down Virginia. In 2024, the Pack handled ACC rival Duke in the Elite Eight to make the Final Four. On so many levels, what Kevin Keatts did this past season resembled what Jim Valvano did 41 years earlier. Naturally, NC State did not win its Final Four semifinal this past April. Valvano's team was able to go all the way. Still, what happened in the ACC Tournament and on the first two weekends of the 2024 NCAA Tournament brought all the memories flooding back to 1983. It was a run NC State fans won't forget, but now the challenge is to build off that season instead of having it become a one-hit wonder. Can NC State now become an annual ACC and March Madness threat? Beating Texas would go a very long way toward building that identity and brand.
Here are the Texas-NC State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Texas-NC State Odds
Texas: -2.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -137
NC State: +2.5 (-114)
Moneyline: +114
Over: 143.5 (-115)
Under: 143.5 (-105)
How to Watch Texas vs NC State
Time: 9:15 p.m. ET / 6:15 p.m. PT
Article Continues Below
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Texas Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Longhorns are better than an NC State team which was terrible for most of last season and somehow got very hot at tournament time. NC State, had it not benefited from missed free throws by Virginia in the semifinals of the 2024 ACC Tournament, never would have even made the field of 68, and Kevin Keatts likely would have been fired. This is not a consistently strong NC State program. Texas can handle the Wolfpack.
Why NC State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Texas is nothing close to what it was a few seasons ago. NC State, buoyed by a revved-up home crowd eager to see this new Wolfpack team make an early-season statement, will bother the Longhorns and ultimately come up with a win.
Final Texas-NC State Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to the Wolfpack, but it's really hard to back an ACC side after seeing the SEC slaughter the ACC on Tuesday in Day 1 of the ACC-SEC Challenge. Pass. Maybe wait for a live in-game bet, but don't play this one before tipoff.
Final Texas-NC State Prediction & Pick: NC State +2.5
