The first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament has the No. 11 seed NC State Wolfpack and the No. 6 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders squaring off on Thursday at 9:40 p.m. ET. Texas Tech is a 5-point favorite in the latest NC State vs. Texas Tech via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 146 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any NC State vs. Texas Tech picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows NC State senior guard DJ Horne has been a consistent playmaker for this team. Horne has tremendous quickness and scores from all three levels. The North Carolina native leads the team in scoring (16.9) and steals (1.4). In his last outing, Horne totaled 29 points and four boards.

The model also knows Texas Tech sophomore guard Pop Isaacs is an athletic, downhill scorer. Isaacs gets into the lane with ease and has a knack for finishing with each hand. He logs a team-high 15.9 points with 3.5 assists per game. On Mar. 14 against BYU, Isaacs had 22 points and two assists.

Now, the model has set its sights on NC State vs. Texas Tech. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins NC State vs. Texas Tech, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!