A trip to Madison Square Garden and the final four, well the NIT version of the final four, is at stake starting Tuesday when the quarterfinal round of the postseason tournament gets underway. Until the semifinal round all games are played at the home of the better seed, that means Indiana, TCU, Texas and North Carolina State all have the advantage of hosting and all are favored on the opening college basketball betting line. That guarantees nothing other than the home team wearing light colored uniforms.
No. 6 Wichita State is the worst-seeded team to advance to the quarters, but they did it in style by knocking off No. 3 Furman and No. 2 Clemson on the road to get here. No. 5 Lipscomb also won a pair of road games, including a decision over No. 1-seed UNC Greensboro in its bracket. The higher seeds all held serve by winning at home and need one more for a chance to play in the basketball Mecca for a shot at the title.
NIT Quarterfinals – Tuesday, March 26, 2019
No. 6 Wichita State at No. 1 Indiana ( -4.5, 139 ), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Don’t tell Wichita State it shouldn’t win a road game in the NIT. If any team is familiar with being on the road it’s the Shockers, who haven’t played a home game since the next-to-last game of the regular season back on Mar. 5. Their last six games have been away from home with the AAC tournament taking place in Memphis and two more to open the NIT. They’ve gone 5-1 in those games with the only loss to Cincinnati in the AAC tournament semifinals. If they haven’t gotten homesick by now, I doubt they will. And they certainly won’t be intimidated by playing at Assembly Hall. Indiana may have been a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, but the Hoosiers are where they belong. They haven’t been dominant and could be without leading scorer Romeo Langford, who missed the first two NIT tilts. Take the Shockers and the points and they might be worth a side bet on the moneyline the way they’ve been playing.
NIT Score Prediction: Wichita State 67, Indiana 63
No. 2 Creighton at No. 1 TCU ( -4, 151 ), 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Another bubble team that didn’t get an invite to the Dance, the TCU Horned Frogs should be thankful. They probably would have been bounced in the first or second round of the NCAA Tournament, but they have embraced their time in the NIT. The Frogs won the title two years ago in dominating fashion and they’re at it again with a pair of double-digit victories over Sam Houston State and Nebraska. They have never lost in this event under Jamie Dixon and several players are still with the program from that run two years ago. Desmond Bane Creighton was a middle of the pack team in a mediocre Big East, so don’t let the 20 wins fool you. TCU’s experience, balance and homecourt advantage will allow them to make plans for a trip to NYC.
NIT Score Prediction: TCU 77, Creighton 69
NIT Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 27, 2019
No. 5 Lipscomb at No. 2 NC State ( -3, 163 ), 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
The record looked good and several administrators were lobbying for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but the committee did the right thing by not giving NC State an invite. A soft non-conference slate and beating up on the lesser teams in the ACC wasn’t quite enough. The Wolfpack couldn’t even get a No. 1 seed in the NIT, so that tells us something. But they did win twice to reach the quarters and have a chip on their shoulder, but I’m not sure that’s going to be enough against an inspired Lipscomb squad. Five of the Bisons seven losses came against teams that reached the Dance and none were by more than eight points. They got a spot in the NIT by earning a share of the Atlantic Sun regular season title, only to lose to Liberty in the tournament final. The Bisons can fill it up led by Garrison Mathews and his 20 points per game. Rob Marberry tallied 24 in the upset of UNC Greensboro and Lipscomb is seventh in the country in scoring at 83.7 points per game. The Pack doesn’t play much defense, giving the Bisons a great opportunity to win this one in a shootout.
NIT Score Prediction: Lipscomb 88, NC State 85
No. 4 Colorado at No. 2 Texas ( OFF ), 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
It’s a quick turnaround for the Buffaloes, who head to Austin for their matchup with Texas after dispatching Norfolk State on Monday night. Colorado built a 20-point halftime lead and was able to rest starters in the second half of an eventual 76-60 victory, giving the Buffs the third-most wins in school history. Colorado’s balance and depth proved to be too much for the Spartans, who were exhausted by game’s end. Tyler Bey, who leads the team in scoring, netted 17 with Evan Battey contributing 12 points and 11 boards. The Buffs are extremely athletic, and they are young. We’ve witnessed them come together lately and they are 7-1 in their last eight games with the loss coming to eventual Pac-12 champ Washington in the conference tournament. Texas had two nail-biters at home, beating South Dakota State, 79-73, and Xavier, 78-76, in overtime. Their luck runs out in this one, however.
NIT Score Prediction: Colorado 74, Texas 68
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