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Marquette takes on North Carolina State in the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 on Friday night.
The Golden Eagles and the Wolfpack fight for a slot in the Elite Eight, where they will face the winner of the Houston-Duke encounter in the South Region final on Sunday.
No. 2 seed Marquette (27-9) sailed past Western Kentucky, 87-69, in the first round and fended off a spirited Colorado squad before winning, 81-77.
On the other hand, No. 11 NC State surprised sixth-seed Texas Tech, 80-67, and outclassed No. 14-ranked Oakland, 79-73, in overtime.
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Tipoff is scheduled for 7:09 pm ET at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
NC State vs Marquette injuries
L.J. Thomas, NC State
Thomas will not play for the Wolfpack in their Sweet 16 game against Marquette due to personal reasons. In 12 games, the 6-foot-2 sophomore guard is averaging 2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
Dennis Parker Jr, NC State
Parker is out indefinitely due to illness. The 6-foot-6 guard averages 4.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 0.4 apg in 15.5 minutes of action for the Wolfpack.
MJ Rice, NC State
Rice is out for the season for the Wolfpack as he decided to redshirt the 2023–24 season. In nine games, he averaged 4.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.1 assists.
Sean Jones, Marquette
Jones tore his ACL and is gone for the season with the Golden Eagles. Before his injury, the 5-foot-10 guard averaged 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
NC State vs Marquette prediction
NC State is one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning seven straight games. During the stretch, they defeated Duke and North Carolina in the ACC Tournament and continued their run in the first two rounds of March Madness.
Four players are averaging in double digits for the Wolfpack, led by DJ Horne. The 6-foot-1 senior has averaged 16.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.4 spg in 37 games this season for NC State.
DJ Burns Jr. provides scoring support for Horne at 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest.
Jayden Taylor and Casey Morsell are the other key contributors for NC State, with Taylor averaging 11.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.2 spg. On the other hand, Morsell averages 11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.7 apg and 1.1 spg.
On the other hand, Marquette has won five of their last six games, including their NCAA Tournament victories over Western Kentucky and Colorado.
The Golden Eagles will count on the combination of Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek in their game against NC State.
Jones averages 17.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.2 spg in 35 games, while Kolek produces 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.
Forwards Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin provide additional firepower for Marquette, with Ighodaro averaging 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Joplin, on the other hand, has tallied 11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 0.9 bpg for the Golden Eagles.
NC State may be one of the nation's hottest teams, but Marquette has the firepower and bench depth to beat the Wolfpack and advance to the Elite Eight. Expect the Golden Eagles to cover the spread in this matchup.
Pick: Marquette Golden Eagles (-6.5, -110)
