A last-second basket by Trevor Releford in the semifinals of the NIT sent Alabama into the tournament's Championship Game against Wichita State, with the Shockers the favorites by 1.5 points at Sportsbook for the lone college hoops betting matchup on Thursday.
Wichita State (28-8 SU, 17-15 ATS) has looked like a team possessed. They are averaging 79 points per game in the NIT, and only once scored below that mark. They knocked out heavyweights Virginia Tech 79-76 in OT in the second-round, while blowing past a 22-13 Washington State team in the semifinals.
The Shockers' strong offense and blossoming confidence has given them the favorite label as a lower seed against the top-seeded Crimson Tide (25-11 SU, 17-14-1 ATS), and they will get a lot of action on the college hoops betting lines from bettors.
Wichita State has covered the spread in four straight contests, with two of those coming as road underdogs. Three of their four victories have made winners of OVER bettors in totals wagering.
Wichita State will have to involve most of its roster in the game if it expects to take home the title. This team has no go-to guy as such, but they do have players capable of moving the ball around.
J.T. Durley leads the Shockers with an average of 11.3 points per game. Usually it’s someone different who seems to step up, and that takes opponents off guard.
Garrett Stutz collected a double-double with 24 points and 11 boards in their semifinal win, while also being one of four players to lead the Shockers in scoring in their last four games.
Alabama has one of the best defenses in all of college basketball, and they have allowed only one team to score more than 64 points in the past 13 games. The Crimson Tide will be looking to shut down the well-balanced offense belonging to the Shockers.
The Crimson Tide slipped past Colorado in a thrilling 62-61 win in the NIT semifinals. Leading scorer JaMychal Green led the way with 22 points but fouled out and had to watch the wild ending. Alabama has won six of its last seven games and will also get plenty of attention on the NIT Championship Game betting lines as an underdog.
Alabama knocked off Miami 79-64, New Mexico 74-67, and Coastal Carolina 68-44 in their first three games of this event before driving the Buffaloes from the tourney in the semifinals.
If Alabama can succeed with its defensive strategy then a wager in favor of the Crimson Tide may be worth making – especially with them as underdogs. They are an astonishing 16-7-1 ATS in their past 24 games, and four of their last six games have also made winners of OVER bettors in totals wagering.
