The Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Louisville Cardinals have a lot in common. Both of their women’s college basketball teams ended up grabbing No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, their football teams met at the TaxSlayer Bowl back in December, and they will both be vying for a spot in the NIT Semifinals in Madison Square Garden in this game. Louisville is sure to be a favorite since it is playing at home, but there is a question of motivation after a story was released saying that the players didn’t want to participate in the NIT.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout the NIT.
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Louisville has taken care of business against two smaller schools to get to this point. The Cardinals barely covered the spread against Northern Kentucky in their first game, and didn’t cover the opening CBB betting line. Louisville left no doubt in its last game though, hammering Middle Tennessee State 84-68 on Sunday.
The Bulldogs pulled off a narrow win against Nebraska in their first game of the NIT, covering the 4.5-point spread against Nebraska by a handful. On Sunday, Mississippi State scored a nice upset though, hitting a three at the buzzer to knock off Baylor. The Bulldogs were 5.5-point underdogs to the Bears, netting those who backed them on the moneyline a nice payday.
It’s important to remember that there are two big rule changes and two small rule changes for the NIT. First, games will be played in four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves. Second, the three-point line will be pushed out by about 20 inches to match the one used in international competition. Third, the free throw lane will be widened by four feet, matching the width used in the NBA. Finally, the shot chock will reset to only 20 seconds as opposed to the usual 30 seconds, after an offensive rebound.
Key Stat
The new rule change is not going to help Mississippi State in the slightest. The Bulldogs have been one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the nation this year. Mississippi State is hitting just 31.2 percent of its threes this season, and the team is unlikely to start hitting them at this point.
Somehow, the Bulldogs did have a lot of success from range against Baylor. Mississippi State sunk 13 of 22 from downtown, and that paved the way for the upset. It was needed as the Bulldogs had just 21 rebounds against the Bears.
Matchup to Watch
Louisville has almost as much size as Baylor, making it tough for Mississippi State to protect the glass in a hostile environment. The Cardinals have three solid rebounders in Deng Adel, Anas Mahmoud, and Ray Spalding, and those three should be able to control the glass.
Mississippi State has size in Aric Holman and Abdul Ado, but Holman would rather play along the perimeter and Ado is very young. Both will need to play to their size against Louisville.
Free NIT Quarterfinals ATS Picks
This game all comes down to motivation. Louisville is playing at home and has more talent, but it’s been a tumultuous year for the Cardinals. The Rick Pitino scandal rocked the foundations of this school and the players have noted how taxing this year has been.
Louisville looks to have responded well though. The Cardinals may want to prove that they were much better than their record at this point, and winning the NIT would show this team’s resiliency. With that in mind, take Louisville to cover at home.
NIT Quarterfinals Betting Odds: Louisville 73, Mississippi State 65
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