2026 First Four predictions, odds, time: NC State vs. Texas picks from expert on 65-44 run

Teams trending in the wrong direction meet when the Texas Longhorns face the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Tuesday night in a 2026 First Four matchup. The winner moves on as a No. 11 seed to face sixth-seeded BYU on Thursday. Ole Miss defeated Texas 76-66 in the first round of the SEC Tournament last Wednesday, while NC State was beaten by Virginia 81-74 in Thursday's quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The Longhorns (18-14), who have lost five of six, placed sixth in the SEC regular-season standings at 9-9. The Wolfpack (20-13), who have also dropped five of six, finished in a tie for seventh in the ACC with Florida State at 10-8.

The game from UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, tips off at 9:15 p.m. ET. The Wolfpack are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. NC State odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 157.5. Before making any Texas vs. N.C. State picks, check out what SportsLine college basketball expert Bob Konarski has to say.

Konarski specializes in college basketball, displaying in-depth knowledge of hundreds of Division I teams. He is a regular presence in the SportsLine Discord, co-hosts a weekly X Spaces with fellow CBB expert Tom Casale and can be seen on the "Early Edge" breaking down his college hoops plays. He enters the tournament on a 65-44 run on college basketball picks, returning $1,615 for $100 players. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, Konarski has his sights set on Texas vs. NC State, and just revealed his First Four picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Konarski's picks. Here are several men's college basketball odds and men's college basketball betting lines for NC State vs. Texas:

Top Texas vs. NC State predictions

Konarski is going Over on the point total (157.5). Both teams rank in the top 30 nationally in scoring and have a similar offensive profile with Texas averaging 83.8 points per game, while NC State averages 83.7. Four players average at least 13 points for Texas, with Dailyn Swain leading the way with 17.8. The same can be said of NC State, though its top-four scorers all have either 13.8 or 13.9 points per game, so there's a lot of offensive balance for the Wolfpack. 

Konarski advises looking for value in early live over/under lines, but ultimately expects this game to clear the total. "There may be nerves to start out this game, so there could be a good live opportunity on the Over since neither teams play much defense," he told SportsLine. "The pace will be there since both teams can score in bunches quickly."

How to make NC State vs. Texas picks

Konarski has also found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Texas vs. NC State in the 2026 First Four, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert on a 65-44 roll on his college basketball best bets, and find out.