The second half of the Sweet 16 will start on Friday evening when the 11-seed NC State Wolfpack faces the 2-seed Marquette Golden Eagles in the South Region at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The game will tip off at 7:09 PM ET and air on CBS.

For a team that had to win their conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, have looked like they belonged in the tournament as they won seven straight games; however, the Wolfpack needed overtime to win the game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2^nd round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack led 32-29 at halftime of the game against the Golden Grizzlies and extended the lead 36-30 at the 18:37 mark in the 2^nd half and would lead 61-51 with less than four minutes left in the game before the Golden Grizzlies would go on a 6-0 run to take the lead 63-61, however, the Wolfpack would regain the lead with 55 seconds left in the game at 66-64 but would foul Jack Gohlke with 41 seconds left and Gohlke would make both free throws to tie the game 66-66. NC State would take complete control of the match with 2:01 left to go in overtime with a 70-69 lead and would go on a 7-0 run before Oakland would make a three-point shot with 14 seconds left in the game. The NC State Wolfpack have played in 14 Sweet 16s and have compiled a record of 6-7 and have not advanced to the Elite Eight since the 1986 NCAA Tournament, as they have lost in their last four appearances in the Sweet 16 with the most recent appearance coming in the 2015 NCAA Tournament which resulted in a 65-75 loss against the Louisville Cardinals. The NC State Wolfpack will look to end that trend when they face the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday evening.

The Marquette Golden Eagles have only suffered nine losses this season, with three of the nine coming against the UConn Huskies, including the Big East Conference Tournament Championship, by a score of 57-73. The Golden Eagles won with relative ease in their 1^st round matchup against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers with an 87-69 win and looked like they were in firm control in their 2^nd round matchup against the Colorado Buffaloes as they led by 11 points at halftime at 45-34. However, the Buffaloes would outscore the Golden Eagles 10-2 to start the 2^nd half to cut the deficit to three points and would be on fire from the 3-point range, making five three-point baskets in less than a little over 5 minutes into the 2^nd half to take a 55-54 lead. However, that would be the last time Colorado led in the game as the Golden Eagles won the game 81-77 to advance to their 17^th Sweet 16 and their first since the 2013 NCAA Tournament in which they lost in the Elite Eight against the Syracuse Orange by a score of 36-55. The Marquette Golden Eagles will look to advance to their 8^th Elite Eight with a win against the NC State Wolfpack in the Sweet 16 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

BookMaker lists the Marquette Golden Eagles as 6-point favorites against the NC State Wolfpack in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. The teams have only met twice before the matchup on Friday, with the teams splitting the series and the most recent contest resulting in a 77-73 win on the road for the Wolfpack in the 2009-10 college basketball season.

NC State enters this meeting on a seven-game winning streak, while Marquette has only suffered one loss in their last six games. NC State is 1-1 ATS in the NCAA Tournament, while Marquette is also 1-1 ATS in their first two games. I look for NC State to cool off and struggle against one of the most efficient defensive teams in college basketball this season, the Marquette Golden Eagles, and I look for the Golden Eagles to cover and advance. Lay the points with the Marquette Golden Eagles when they face the NC State Wolfpack in the Sweet 16 of the South Region on Friday evening.