The #8 seed vs #9 seed games are some of the closest games in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

#8 North Carolina State (24-10) vs. #9 Temple (23-9) will be a close.

The game will come down to which star has the best game, so it’s basically NC State’s C.J. Leslie vs. Temple’s Khalif Wyatt. This is a matchup you could see in the NBA someday soon.

Will this game verify the strength of the Atlantic-10 conference?

Who do you think will win? We help you fill out your bracket.

The NC State Wolfpack gave Duke their first loss of the season, but that was the last marquee win they had this season. The team was vanilla after that win.

C.J. Leslie is a great college basketball player and has a chance to cement his legacy. I don’t see the Wolfpack going very far in the tournament if they don’t hit perimeter shots. It’s their biggest weakness that could make them an easy out.

The Temple Owls loves to put up three-pointers. They are inconsistent with the shot, but they have been successful in big games. Scootie Randall, Jake O’Brien and Wyatt will be very active against the Wolfpack.

I predict Temple to advance past the Wolfpack. I don’t see a mid-level seed advancing far without perimeter shooting. Since Temple does it much better, I predict the Owls to face the winner of Indiana and the #16 seed play-in winner.

Prediction: #9 Temple Owls

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