Oakland vs NC State Picks, Predictions & Player Props (March 23)

• The #14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies look to continue their Cinderella run against the #11 NC State Wolfpack on Saturday
• The Wolfpack, who have won six in a row, are 6.5-point favorites
• See the Oakland vs NC State picks, predictions, and player props for Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh

The #14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-11, 5-1 neutral, 22-13 ATS) pulled off the upset of the tournament (so far) on Thursday, knocking off #3 Kentucky (80-86) as 13.5-point underdogs.

On Saturday, Oakland faces one of the hottest teams in the nation when they tangle with the #11 NC State Wolfpack (23-14, 7-2 neutral, 18-18-1 ATS) at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.

The odds favor NC State, but the spread is considerably smaller than what the Grizzlies faced in round one.

Oakland vs NC State Odds

The Wolfpack are 6.5-point chalk in the Oakland/NC State odds. The line opened at NC State -6 last night and has moved half a point towards the Wolfpack. NC State is also -295 on the moneyline to advance, with Oakland a +215 underdog.

Odds as of March 23 at BetMGM. Claim the sign up offer for BetMGM to get a bonus for Oakland/NC State. 

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the Sweet 16 in the March Madness bracket and face the winner of #2 Marquette vs #7 Colorado.

NC State Stays Scorching Hot

After Thursday’s 80-67 win over Texas Tech, NC State has won six straight, including five games in five days during the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack’s run to the ACC title was as unexpected as it was necessary. Just 17-14 at the end of the regular season, anything other than an ACC Tournament championship and NC State was NIT bound (at best).

The Wolfpack beat #2 seed Duke (74-69) and #3 seed Virginia (73-65) in the quarters and semis, and then took down top-seeded UNC (84-76) to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

The momentum carried over into the first round of March Madness with a decisive 80-67 win over Texas Tech as 4.5-point underdogs. NC State went on a 10-0 towards the end of the first half to take a lead they would not surrender.

Ben Middlebrooks was the star of the show with a game-high (and career-high) 21 points while forward Mohammed Diarra had a game-high 12 rebounds, helping the Wolfpack stay even on the glass despite center DJ Burns Jr being limited to 16 minutes due to foul trouble,

NC State now sits 53rd in overall efficiency at KenPom, 23 spots higher than at the start of the ACC Tournament.

Gohlke Leads Oakland Past UK

Jack Gohlke was the story of day one of the tournament. The senior guard hit 10 three-pointers against Kentucky on 20 attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with a game-high 32 points. Leading scorer Trey Townsend added 17 points and a huge 12 rebounds, allowing the Grizzlies finish +1 on the boards.

Oakland had been 0-5 this year against top-50 teams before Thursday’s win, falling to Ohio State (79-73 away), Illinois (64-53 away), Drake (85-77 neutral), Michigan State (79-62 away), and Dayton (91-67 away). They moved up from 137th at KenPom to 130th (124 on offense and 157 on defense).

The Grizzlies were +40000 longshots to win the South Region on Selection Sunday. They improved all the way to +5000 in the Final Four odds after the Kentucky game.

OAK vs NC State Player Props

The college basketball player props for Oakland vs NC State from DraftKings Sportsbook on March 23. 

The prop everyone’s been waiting for, Jack Gohlke threes, has been set at 3.5 with the over favored at -145. Oakland’s Townsend and NC State’s Horne have the highest point totals of the night at 16.5. Diarra, NC State’s leading rebounder, has a rebound total of 10.5 O/U.

Oakland vs NC State Prediction

Oakland’s win over Kentucky was no fluke. This team has played a strong schedule and actually led at Ohio State with under ten minutes to play (before ultimately losing 79-73). They are a perfect example of the increased parity in the college game, especially among the best low-majors.

NC State is will be playing its seventh game in 11 days on Saturday, and they aren’t a deep team. Kevin Keatts only played a seven-man rotation against Texas Tech, and four of his starters played at least 34 minutes. Fatigue will inevitably catch-up with the Wolfpack at some point, and I expect it to be now.

Oakland vs NC State picks:

• Oakland +6.5 (-110)
• Trey Townsend over 16.5 points (-130)