The 16 team NIT Tournament has been whittled down to eight. It might not be as exciting as what’s gone down in the NCAA Tournament, but these kids have come to play; put some respect on the participants! Richmond, Western Kentucky, NC State, Boise State, Colorado State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis and Mississippi State comprise the eight team quarterfinal field, and there is some major talent littered throughout each and every one of these rosters. Betting lines have already hit the board and been bet into at online sportsbooks, so let’s take a look at each matchup and see where the value lies. The following are my selections for all four quarterfinal bouts set to go down at the UNT Coliseum and Comerica Center on Thursday night with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
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Mississippi State
Hail State is loving the fact that it gets to partake in the postseason with it owners of one of the youngest rosters in the SEC. The Bulldogs took advantage of the opportunity in the first round disposing of the St. Louis Billikens 74-68 as 4.5-point underdogs. It was a much needed win for Iverson Molinar and company who got their lunch served up by Alabama in the SEC Tournament. Somehow, Richmond was able to get the best of Toledo as 4.5-point dogs in its first round matchup, but the Rockets are more of a perimeter oriented team. While Miss State has occasionally lit it up from beyond the arc, its success is more predicated upon the play of its bigs down low; of which they have many. Look for the Dawgs size to be the great equalizer in this one and punch the team’s ticket to the semis. Once the line hits the board after we know who will and won’t participate for the Spiders, hit the Bulldogs confidently.
Colorado State PK
CSU missed out on its shot to punch a ticket to the dance by bowing out early in the Mountain West Tournament. But instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for itself, it went out and won a grueling matchup at the last second against what proved to be a game Buffalo Bulls outfit. Nico Medved possesses a young up and coming roster that’s highly likely to compete for conference championships as soon as next season. In David Roddy he’s got a primetime guard that has no issues at all getting down and dirty in the paint, while Isaiah Stevens brings it all together with an average of 15 points and 5.7 assists per game. NC State closed the regular season out on a high before getting its salad tossed by Syracuse in the ACC Tournament, but I’m never one to back a Kevin Keatts coached team. So long as the Rams don’t kill themselves with turnovers, they should find a way to pull out the win and advance.
Boise State +4.5
This is going to be a fun one! Like CSU, Memphis looks to be primed to make a number of runs in the AAC provided Anfernee Hardaway can find a way to hold onto his PTPers for longer than a year. The Tigers possess by far the much better of the two defenses with it ranked No. 3 in efficiency per the Pomeroy Ratings compared to the Broncos who clock in at No. 74. That said, Boise State owns a much more efficient offensive attack than that of the Tigers with Derrick Alston Jr., Abu Kigab and Marcus Shaver Jr. comprising one of the more potent trios in the country. While Memphis is deserved of being installed the favorite in this matchup, I’m of the belief the number to beat is just a bit inflated due to Memphis’ shortcomings at the offensive end of the court. It’s also one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country which means the backdoor will be open late as it struggles to seal the deal.
Louisiana Tech -1
The final quarterfinal matchup pits a couple of Conference USA foes up against one another, and they just so happened to be the two best teams over the course of the regular season. Unfortunately, neither was able to punch its ticket to the dance. But to the non-victor goes a shot at redemption with the teams splitting their pair of regular season meetings. Both matchups were held in the Hilltoppers’ arena in early January. WKY won the first 66-64 but failed to cover the 7.5-point closing spread. The rematch saw the Bulldogs score the 63-58 outright win as 5.5-point pups. With Western Kentucky suffering from a major dose of roster attrition, I simply just can’t envision them getting the best of a fully healthy La Tech roster in the third and final meeting of the season. Charles Bassey will undoubtedly get his after averaging 19 points and 15 rebounds in the two previous bouts, but look for Isaiah Crawford and company to put forth a balanced scoring attack that punches the team’s ticket to the semis.
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