NCAAB
NC State: The Wolfpack finished second in the ACC regular season ahead of a few teams you might have heard of - Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Maryland - all Tournament teams with a strong shot at making the Final Four.
Their conference competition was the best preparation any team could ask for and with wins over four of the ACC's top five teams, they've proven they can hang with any team in the nation.
Bettors loved the Pack early in the season and rode them to an 18-7 ATS mark. However, their bankability dwindled as the season wore on. Five of their losses came in the final eight games.
N.C. State relies on a perimeter game held down by point guard Julius Hodge. The 6-foot-7 Hodge led the Pack in scoring (18.1) and assists (3.8) this season, but he could be on his own if a couple of major contributors don't return from injuries for Friday.
Starting guard Scooter Sherrill has been out with a sprained ankle since Feb. 29 and center Jordan Collins is still nursing a knee injury that kept him out of the loss to Maryland in the ACC semifinal. Both players are questionable.
A lack of reserves cost the Wolfpack dearly in the ACC semifinal loss to Maryland when they blew a 21-point lead down the stretch.
"We didn't have as much of a lift as we usually do off the bench," Hodge said after the game. "Sometimes that's going to happen. You have to find ways to win and we didn't."
Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin' Cajuns dominated the Sun Belt Conference this season, taking both the regular season and tournament crowns. But playing outside the Sun Belt presented considerable problems.
The Cajuns suffered losses to fellow Tournament goers Georgia Tech, Dayton, Xavier and Arizona. It should be noted they thumped Valparaiso by 24 points and beat Western Kentucky by eight. They also went 4-0 ATS against Tournament teams in the regular season.
Balance is the key to the Cajuns' offense. Guard Laurie Bridges led the team in scoring through the late season, but when his shooting hand caught frostbite in the Sun Belt Tournament, six players stepped up to score in double figures against South Alabama and four others in wins against Middle Tennessee and New Orleans.
No longer can they bask in the warm rays of the Sun Belt. They won't be able to rely on their usual run-and-gun style against N.C. State's battle-hardened defense. If it turns into a war, the Cajuns, who have only one player listed above 6-foot-7, could get shelled.
The bench will be the difference in this game. ULL Coach Jessie Evans isn't afraid to run deep into his reserves, especially with a bench that includes guards Brad Boyd and Orien Green and forward Cedric Williams. The three combine for 27.8 points per game.
NC STATE +1 -330
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