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NC St. Wolfpack vs. St. Louis Billikens NCAA Tourney Betting Predictions & Preview

NC St. vs Saint Louis Gambling Lines

The 12th-seeded NC State Wolfpack will look to parlay their First Four win from Tuesday night with another on Thursday night when they take on the fifth-seeded Saint Louis Billikens at the Amway Center in Orlando. [ad-4468020]

2014 NCAA Tournament Free Picks
Midwest Region – 2nd Round
12 NC State Wolfpack (22-13) at 5 Saint Louis Billikens (26-6)
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time: 7:20 PM ET
Venue: Amway Center
City: Orlando, Florida
O/U Odds: 131.5
Spread: Saint Louis -3
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Matchup Stats | ATS Insider Preview

While Saint Louis has been waiting for this game, NC State has already begun their tournament, needing to beat a tough Xavier squad to earn their spot in the second round. The Wolfpack took care of business, earning a 74-59 win on Tuesday.

T.J. Warren was the star of the show. After winning the ACC Player of the Year award for his work in the regular season, Warren didn’t disappoint with the team’s season on the line. Warren paced all scorers in the game with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He also filled out his stat line with five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

The performance certainly isn’t out of the ordinary for Warren, who has now scored 20 or more points in 18 consecutive games.

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As for Saint Louis, they were able to build up a 26-6 overall record, and a 13-3 conference record on the back of a soft Atlantic 10 schedule, no matter what Shaka Smart or the selection committee have to say about it.

The Billikens had won their first 12 conference games, but things went downhill from there.
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The team enters the tournament now in really bad form, losing four of its last five games, including a surprising first round exit in the conference tournament after a loss to St. Bonaventure.

The Billikens rely on a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging 9.9 points per game or better, and another 7.7 coming from Austin McBroom.

A pair of seniors will be called on to carry the team in the postseason.

Forward Dwayne Evans leads the team with 14.0 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game, hitting on his field goal attempts at a .497 clip, while guard Jordair Jett was second in scoring with 13.7 points, while leading the team with 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals.

Saint Louis enjoyed a soft schedule during the regular year, helping carry the team through the regular season with their name on the AP top 25 poll for most of the season. Now they take a step up in competition and there’s little reason to believe they have what it takes.

As for NC State, they come in with all the momentum in the world, and don’t want to let T.J. Warren’s terrific performance from the First Four go to waste.

The Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS in their last five tournament games and 6-0 ATS in their last six games overall.

The Billikens are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against ACC opponents and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games overall.

The play: NC State +3

By Gino Bottero

Gino is new to CappersPicks.com but NOT new to the online gambling industry.He's got an AMAZING knack for discovering hidden gems when it comes to betting on sports. Stick with him as he predicts when a team will have a letdown! Check Gino out for NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB betting articles all season long!