The #8 vs #9 seed games are often volatile. The nine-seed has just about as much chance of winning the game than the eight-seed. I think the nine-seed has historically actually won the most games in this first-round match-up.

NC State has a new coach and no one expected them to be this good. They got lucky when the NCAA cleared Ohio State-transfer Braxton Beverly. He was left in limbo after Ohio State fired Thad Matta.

Seton Hall pushes the ball up and down the court all game. They excel when teams play their tempo, which is ‘frenzy’ tempo.

Who do you think will win? 

Do you have #8 Seton Hall Pirates or #9 NC State Wolfpack? 

The Seton Hall Pirates has an up-tempo offense led by Desi Rodriguez. They knocked off an impressive list of teams on their way to an at-large bid out of the Big East. They beat Texas Tech, Louisville and Creighton early in the season. They were scoring at a rapid pace, but to me, they got tired. They lost seven out of ten games from mid-January until Valentine’s Day. They played some tough talent during that stretch and never truly recovered. They did force overtime at home against Villanova before the conference tournament, but couldn’t close the deal. Their biggest red flag is their free-throw issue.

The NC State Wolfpack weren’t exactly biting their nails during the selection show, but they made things closer than they should have been. They lost to Boston College in the first-round, thus is thrown them in the dreaded bubble. First-year coach Kevin Keatts worked some damn magic with this team. Remember, Dennis Smith Jr. was on this team last year and they didn’t get in the tournament. Keatts was able to get wins over Arizona, Duke, North Carolina and Clemson this season. I’m curious to see how teams will deal with Omer Yurtseven as he spaces the floor and as a seven-footer, can shoot from the outside.

As I said before, Seton Hall hit a wall in mid-January and never really recovered. They need to push the tempo to win games and I don’t see them doing that against NC State. The Pirates are favored in this game, but NC State has done more to impress me recently and should advance.

Prediction: #8 NC State Wolfpack

**Check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament picks** 

Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!

About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.