The Oklahoma State Cowboys are looking to prove why the Big 12 was the toughest conference from top to bottom in the country. Oklahoma State finished second-to-last in the conference, but this team is just one win away from making the NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden.
Standing in the Cowboys way are the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky lost out on an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by one point, but Conference USA has proven that it has some talented teams this season. The Hilltoppers are the only one left alive now though, and CUSA would love to see them win the NIT.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout the NIT.
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Western Kentucky knocked off solid teams like Purdue and SMU out of conference, and the Hilltoppers have beat other major conference teams thus far in the NIT. In the first round of the NIT, they easily covered as a four-point favorite per the CBB betting odds against Boston College, waxing the Eagles by 17. On Monday night, Western Kentucky notched an even bigger victory with a road win over USC. The Hilltoppers were a 4.5-point underdog in that one.
Oklahoma State has won five of its last six at this point. The Cowboys trounced Kansas in their last regular season game, and then knocked off rival Oklahoma by double digits in the Big 12 Tournament. They barely pulled off the cover against Florida Gulf Coast in their first game, but then failed to cover against Stanford. Under has been a great bet in Oklahoma State games this season, going 21-10-1.
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 clock will reset to only 20 seconds as opposed to the usual 30 seconds, after an offensive rebound.
Key Stat
Western Kentucky’s starters have been very efficient from the floor this season. The Hilltoppers have hit 49.5 percent of their field goals as a team this year, and no starter is shooting worse than 47.2 percent. All five are averaging double-digits in points this season as well.
That means defenses have been unable to focus on any one player. If you try to focus on Justin Johnson, Darius Thompson or Taveion Hollingsworth will take over. However, the bench is not too deep and if the Cowboys can get into the bench, it’s going to cause issues.
Matchup to Watch
On the other hand, Oklahoma State has an exceptionally deep bench. The Cowboys go nine or ten deep and will constantly be rotating players in and out of the lineup. That is going to come in handy in a situation like this, where both teams will be playing on one day’s worth of rest.
Free NIT Quarterfinals ATS Picks
The fatigue factor is going to be too much for Western Kentucky to overcome. Although both teams played on Monday, Western Kentucky will be traveling across two time zones on an off day in order to play Oklahoma State. With a shallow bench, that will lead to some tired legs. The extra breaks because of quarters instead of halves will help, but it won’t be enough.
NIT Quarterfinals Betting Odds: Oklahoma State 75, Western Kentucky 66
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