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Carrie Stroup here with the North Carolina State Kansas line, which was coming in at Jayhawks -8.
You can find all the latest NCAA Tournament odds at Sportsbook.com here and be sure to claim up to $250 in FREE CASH (restrictions apply).
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Kansas -8 & 142.5
Opening Line & Total: Jayhawks -8 & 142
Looking for its third-consecutive upset to reach the Elite Eight, 11th-seeded North Carolina State will look to knock out Bill Self’s second-seeded Kansas squad.
The Wolfpack have found success in this year’s tournament facing two teams that they could bully on the boards. They first outrebounded San Diego State by nine then Georgetown by eight, guiding them to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, Mark Gottfried’s squad will not be able to do that against Kansas (+5.7 RPG margin, 21st in nation), led by the nation’s second-most productive rebounder in Thomas Robinson (11.8 RPG). At 6-foot-10, Robinson won’t let NC State control the boards as they have done in the tournament so far, especially because the Wolfpack’s two best rebounders—Richard Howell and C.J. Leslie—each cede two inches to him. Additionally, NC State has not seen a guard as dynamic as Tyshawn Taylor so far in the tournament, which has allowed the Jayhawks’ inside game to dominate the pace.
NC State has a deep offensive team, featuring five double-digit scorers. Leslie (14.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG) leads the way as the team’s most efficient scorer from the field, making 52.9% of his attempts. He’s joined in the post by Howell (10.7 PPG), who has a knack for getting in foul trouble, but also cleans up the glass nicely with 9.3 RPG. Howell has picked up four personal fouls in five consecutive games, and the Wolfpack need him to stay out of trouble and remain on the court to be able to fight Robinson. Lorenzo Brown (12.8 PPG, 6.4 APG) dished seven assists in the Round of 32, and has proven to be a deft passer this season. Leslie, swingman C.J. Williams and Scott Wood each tied for the team lead with 14 points in Sunday’s 66-63 win over Georgetown, with Wood hitting four of his five three-point attempts in the contest.
While the Wolfpack are effective on the boards, they cannot match up with the height of Robinson and seven-foot center Jeff Withey (9.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.3 BPG). Robinson (17.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG) has a double-double in both tournament games so far while Withey is averaging 4.0 BPG over his past three contests. Taylor (16.9 PPG, 4.7 APG) has been quiet in the big dance thus far with two 10-point performances, but has the potential to take over a game at any time with a dozen 20-point games this season. With his low-key outputs last week, fellow guard Elijah Johnson (10.0 PPG) stepped up, averaging 16.5 PPG in the tournament with three 3-pointers in each game.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
