The NIT gets an early glam matchup on Haas Pavilion Wednesday as host California looks to handle the Mississippi Rebels in college hoops action.

The Golden Bears sport a 17-14 mark heading into this battle, while the Rebels are 20-13 on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 18-8-2 for the Golden Bears (sharply trending OVER) and 12-15 for the Rebels (the best OVER betting line was at Sportsbook this morning, where they are offering a super $5 million March Mayhem game).

The Golden Bears are small 3.5-point favorites, but computer modelling below shows this is a candidate for an upset.



View Mississippi vs California Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Golden Bears sit at No. 141 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Rebels sit at No. 75 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Rebels will win this game 77-72.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Rebels is ranked No. 110 in NCAA hoops at 36.1 per game. Contrast that with California’s No. 164 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, California is the No. 294-ranked team in the country at 5 per game, while Mississippi rates No. 64 at 7.5 per game.

Defensively, Mississippi features the nation's No. 199-rated defense on the road, allowing 71.4 points per game. California, meanwhile, comes in at No. 92 nationally in scoring at home.

Mississippi lost its last outing, a 75-66 result against Kentucky on March 11. They failed to cover in that game as an 8.5-point underdog.

Last time out for California, they were a 70-56 loser as they battled USC. They failed to cover in the match as a 3.5-point underdog.


Mississippi Rebels Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
After playing Kentucky are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

California Golden Bears Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
After playing USC are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

A few Rebels at Golden Bears trends to consider:
Mississippi is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Mississippi is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
California is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of California's last 9 games
California is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of California's last 6 games at home