Vegas Play of the Day: NC State vs. Xavier

By Taylor Bern

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 | 10:28 a.m.

Here’s the latest installment of the Play of the Day, which uses odds from the South Point..

Our three sports writers started with a $10,000 bankroll — fictional, of course.

North Carolina State plus-3.5 against Xavier: $330 to win $300

The 2014 NCAA Tournament technically begins tonight, even though these play-in games are an unnecessary waste of time. So what better way to make them actually interesting than with some action?

North Carolina State (21-13) probably didn’t deserve to be in the tournament in the first place, but late-season victories against Pittsburgh and Syracuse helped sneak in the Wolf Pack. Now that they’re here they’re playing with house money, which is a proposition I like for a team that’s been a covering machine down the stretch.

N.C. State went 10-2 against the spread down the stretch, including covering its last five. While Xavier has the better efficiency numbers to go along with wins against Creighton and Cincinnati, I like the Wolf Pack to keep things close tonight.

Standings: Bern (14-10, $10,440), Keefer (11-12, $8,897), Brewer (7-13-3, $5,950)

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.