Texas Tech vs. NC State Expert Pick: NCAA Tournament First Round Spread, Odds, Predictions

Strengths: Over six seasons at North Texas, Grant McCasland's teams consistently played slow and were often among the lowest-scoring teams in the sport. In contrast, McCasland, throughout his first season at Texas Tech, cultivated a Red Raiders team that didn't rush, but could score in a hurry. Over 40 percent of their shots come from beyond the arc, and his success rate is 36.5 percent.

Weaknesses: Without injured big man Warren Washington (foot), Texas Tech's size could be an issue. The Red Raiders are 5-3 when the 7-foot senior doesn't play. Their standout player, Pop Isaacs, can score in large numbers, but his shot selection isn't always great.

Outlook: This is different than the Texas Tech teams of the Chris Beard and Mark Adams eras. They can shoot and they can also defend a little bit if they need to. How they do in the NCAA Tournament depends entirely on their matchups. Teams with size have issues, and if the Raiders aren't attacking from long range, the offense could stagnate. A trip to the Sweet 16 would be a big win.

—Mike Miller

Strengths: North Carolina State needed to win the ACC Tournament to qualify for March Madness, and they won it. Scoring is NC State's biggest selling point. In the final eight games before the tournament season, the team scored a whopping 1.212 points per possession per Bart Torvik, ranking in the top 25 in the nation. Interior giant DJ Barnes Jr. (6-foot-9, 270!) is a heavy burden to handle in the post. DJ Horn, Casey Morsell, Jayden Taylor and Michael O'Connell allow him deadly attacks from 3 meters. North Carolina State had him score an outstanding 40.3% from distance in the final month of the regular season. NC State doesn't turn the ball over much and grabs a lot of offensive rebounds.

Weaknesses: Similar to its color scheme, NC State is in the red defensively. During the regular season's final eight slowdowns, the Wolfpack ranked 220th in the nation in points per possession (1.212) and an even more deplorable 329th in effective field goal defense. Barf. Specifically, from 2 he was 54.4 percent, and from 3 he was even worse at 39.4 percent. Passing the Simple Defense 101 class is necessary for the Wolfpack to survive and advance.

Outlook: Midway through the entire ACC season, the Wolfpack earned the right to howl and dance to the moon for an incredible five-game (five-day) stretch of the ACC Tournament. It would be unwise to discount their potential right away just because they will be at full strength in his NCAA Tournament. With proper guard play and a huge bruiser in Barnes, they are entirely capable of attacking teams from the bracket sheet.

—Brad Evans