College Basketball Knowledge
NIT Tournament
Miami won six of its last seven games, losing to Notre Dame by 7 in ACC tournament; they won first three NIT games by total of 13 points, winning last game at Richmond; Hurricanes won 13 of 16 non-ACC games. Temple won seven of last eight games, losing to SMU in AAC tourney; Owls scored 80 ppg in winning three NIT games by 6-13-17 points; they lost by 20 to Duke in only ACC tilt. ACC teams are 11-11 vs spread this postseason, 5-2 as underdogs. AAC teams are 3-5 vs spread, 1-5 as a favorite.
Long trip east for Stanford, which lost six of last seven games away from home, but won first three NIT games at home by 13-9-3 points. Cardinal was in NYC in November, splitting pair of games in Brooklyn. Stanford is an experienced team that shoots ball but they lost four of last five prior to NIT. Old Dominion could have crowd edge, being in Virginia and this is probably bigger deal for them; Monarchs are 14-1 out of C-USA; they beat LSU and VCU, but haven't been away from home since Feb 28- they won NIT games by 9-1-3, all at home. Pac-12 teams are 9-7 vs spread in postseason, 5-5 as favorites; C-USA teams are 5-6, 3-3 as underdogs.
CIT Tournament
Tenn-Martin won its first three tourney games, all on road, by 25-1-11 points; Skyhawks lost by 10 at Illinois State its only games vs MVC opponent. UTM doesn't sub much; they're experienced team in Schroyer's first year as coach. Evansville scored 84.7 ppg in its first three CIT games, winning last two on road; Aces won two of three vs OVC teams, winning by 15 at Eastern Illinois 8 days ago after splitting pair with Belmont/Murray in December. MVC teams are 6-5 vs spread this postseason; OVC underdogs are 5-2.
Northern Arizona won 14 of last 17 games, winning three games in this tourney by total of 11 points, with two road wins; NAU won its last eight home games- last home loss was Jan 15. NJIT doesn't play in a league; this is its first road game since Jan 25 and its long road trip at that- they won last four D-1 games, scoring 82.7 ppg in three games in this tournament. NJIT won at Michigan, so they're not chumps, but their schedule is unusual. People were NYC were little annoyed that Engles wasn't interviewed for Fordham job.
Armadillosports.com
NIT Semifinals Tips
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
This year’s NCAA Tournament starts back up this Saturday with the Final Four, but college hoops bettors will have plenty of action to keep them busy this Tuesday night with a pair of matchups in both the semifinals of the National Invitational Tournament and the College Insider Tournament.
NIT Semifinal - No. 2 Miami (FL) vs. No. 1 Temple
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York City, NY
Betting Odds: Temple -1½, Total 141
The Miami Hurricanes made their way to the NIT semifinals as the No. 2 seed in Region 2. After failing to cover against the spread in an opening round 75-71 victory against No. 7 North Carolina Central as 8½-point favorites, the Hurricanes went on to knockoff No. 6 Alabama 73-66 as 4½-point favorites and No. 1 Richmond 63-61 as 2½-point underdogs. Miami is now 7-2 straight-up in its last nine games while going 4-5 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in three of its last five games.
The Hurricanes were dealt a blow when their second-leading scorer Angel Rodriguez was lost to a wrist injury, but both Manu Lecomte and JaQuan Newton are listed as probable for Tuesday night. Junior guard Sheldon McClellan has led the way all season with 14.4 points per game and he had the hot hand in last Tuesday’s victory against Richmond with 16 points while going 6-for 13 from the field.
Temple’s run through Region 1 on the NIT as the top seed included victories against No. 8 Bucknell and No. 5 George Washington, but its best effort came in last Wednesday’s 77-59 win against No. 3 Louisiana Tech as a four-point favorite. The Owls are now 7-1 SU in their last eight games with a 5-3 record ATS. The total stayed UNDER the closing 146½-point line in last Wednesday’s win after it had gone OVER in four of their previous six games.
Three of five Temple starters scored in double figures against Louisiana Tech led by junior guard Quenton DeCosey’s game-high 21 points. He also pulled down 11 of the Owls 39 rebounds to help pace the win. Temple is shooting just 38.4 percent from the field this season, but in that game it made good on 49. 1 percent of its 55 shots.
Betting Trends:
The Hurricanes are 7-4 ATS this season in 11 previous games as underdogs, but they are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 nonconference games. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last eight games following a SU win.
The Owls are 4-1 ATS in their last five games outside the their conference and 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games following a SU win. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last eight games against a team from the ACC.
These two last met in the 2005/2006 regular season with Temple coming away with a 73-56 victory as a 3½-point home favorite.
NIT Semifinal - No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 1 Old Dominion
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York City, NY
Betting Odds: Stanford -2½, Total 138
Stanford came into this year’s NIT as the No. 2 seed in Region 3. It started things off with a 77-64 victory over No. 7 UC Davis while covering as an 8½-point favorite. The Cardinal also covered as five-point favorites in a 74-65 win against No. 3 Rhode Island, but they came up short as 4 ½-point favorites in last Tuesday’s 78-75 victory against No. 5 Vanderbilt. Before this tournament, Stanford was just 1-4 SU in its previous five contests while failing to cover in all five games.
The duo of senior guards Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown have done much of the damage for Stanford in this tournament. Randle leads the team in scoring with 19.3 PPG, but he has averaged 23 points in his last three games. Brown is second on the team with 15 PPG and he led the way against Vanderbilt with 26 points. On the injury front, both Grant Verhoeven and Michael Humphrey remain questionable for Tuesday night after missing their last several games.
The Monarchs came into the NIT as the top seed in Region 4 after going 13-5 SU in Conference USA this season. They failed to cover in victories against No. 8 Charleston Southern and No. 4 Illinois State, but a buzzer-beater against No. 3 Murray State propelled them into this round after pulling-out a thrilling 72-69 victory as 1½-point favorites. ODU is now 9-1 SU in its last 10 games while going 7-3 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in 10 of its last 13 games.
Junior guard Trey Freeman hit the game winner against Murray State as part of his game-high 25 points on the night. He has been the Monarchs leading scorer this season with 17.5 PPG. ODU is averaging 65.4 PPG and at the other end of the court it is holding its opponents to 56.8 points a game.
Betting Trends:
The Cardinal are 6-1 ATS in their last seven nonconference games, but they have failed to cover in four of their last five games played at a neutral site. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last 10 games following a SU win.
The Monarchs are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 out of conference games and they are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a SU win. The total has stayed UNDER in their last five neutral-site games.
The only time these two teams played one another was all the way back in 2000 with Stanford rolling to an 84-60 victory as a 19-point home favorite.
College Insider Tournament
The first of two matchups in Tuesday’s College Insider Tournament pits the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks against the Evansville Purple Aces as 6½-point road underdogs with the total set at 150. The Skyhawks are 21-12 SU this season with a 16-10 record ATS. They have won their last three games both SU and ATS.
The Purple Aces come into this matchup with a SU record of 22-12 while going 17-13-1 ATS. They are 6-4 (SU and ATS) in their last 10 games and 2-1 ATS in this tournament. These two have not faced one another since 2009, but Evansville has a 6-1 SU edge in seven previous meetings and it is 2-1 ATS in the last three games.
The second game on Tuesday’s slate sends the New Jersey Tech Highlanders on the road to face the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks as 4½-point underdogs. The total for the game has been set at 144½. New Jersey Tech brings a SU six-game winning streak into this contest and it has covered in its first three games of this tournament. The total has gone OVER in those three games.
Northern Arizona (22-14 SU) is 8-2 SU in its last 10 contests and it has covered ATS in four of its last five games as part of an overall record of 17-11-4 ATS. The total has gone OVER in its last two games. This will be the first meeting between these two in recent memory.
NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet: NIT semifinals
By Covers.com
Miami Hurricanes vs. Temple Owls (-1.5, 139)
Will Cummings' senior season has been a bumpy ride at times, but the Temple guard is stepping up when it matters most for the Owls. Cummings has been terrific in the first three rounds of the NIT and aims to lead the Owls into the championship game when they face Miami (Fla.) at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Cummings is part of a strong three-guard attack for Temple, while Miami also boasts a talented backcourt led by junior Sheldon McClellan.
Temple earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT after barely missing out on the NCAA Tournament despite a strong season that already has seen the team post 17 more wins than a season ago. “I think we kind of just took it as a challenge. We kind of tried to put it behind us and keep it in our minds at the same time,” Cummings told reporters of the NCAA Tournament snub. “Just use it as motivation and come out every game and try to make a statement with each win." Miami earned a No. 2 seed in this tournament and is coming off a thrilling win its last time out, rallying from 18 points down in the second half to slip past Richmond last Tuesday.
LINE HISTORY: This line opened anywhere from Temple +1 to Temple -1 and is now Owls -1.5 at most shops.
ABOUT MIAMI (24-12 SU, 16-17-1 ATS, 14-15-1 O/U): McClellan scored a team-high 16 points against Richmond and averages a team-leading 14.4 points for the Hurricanes, who have played without Angel Rodriguez (wrist) the last two games and expect their point guard again will be unavailable agianst the Owls. Without Rodriguez, Miami will need more support out of guards Davon Reed and Manu Lecomte, who shot a combined 2-of-10 versus the Spiders as the Hurricanes won despite shooting 31.1 percent from the field and 2-of-16 from the arc. "It's just something about this team. We don't really get rattled," said McClellan, who has made 51 3-pointers - one of eight Hurricanes who boast at least 18 this season.
ABOUT TEMPLE (26-10 SU, 18-15 ATS, 11-18 O/U): Cummings is shooting 55.3 percent in the NIT after connecting at a 39.4 percent rate during the Owls' first 33 games and he also is 7-of-12 from 3-point range in the last three games, compared to 17-of-90 entering the tournament. "Everyone that plays basketball should get a chance to play at Madison Square Garden," Cummings told reporters after Temple's 77-59 quarterfinal win over Louisiana Tech. "It's kind of like the stage of all stages." Quenton DeCosey posted his first career double-double in that contest with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Jesse Morgan added 17 points for the Owls, who have scored 70 points or more in six of their last seven games after doing so three times in their previous 14 outings.
TRENDS:
* Owls are 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games.
* Under is 7-1 in Owls last eight vs. Atlantic Coast.
* Under is 6-2 in Hurricanes last eight games following a S.U. win.
Stanford Cardinal vs. Old Dominion Monarchs (+2.5, 135)
At this rate, Old Dominion fans probably expect the Monarchs to defeat Stanford on full-court buzzer-beater on Tuesday. When the teams meet in the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden, Old Dominion will be looking to ride the momentum from three straight dramatic victories, each of which has raised the bar from the previous outing. The top-seeded Monarchs overcame a six-point halftime deficit against Charleston Southern before Jonathan Arledge scored the decisive basket with 19 seconds left against Illinois State, only to be upstaged by Trey Freeman's 35-foot bank shot at the buzzer in the quarterfinal win over Murray State.
"We're on a mission. It's a business trip, but at the same time, I'm going to enjoy the history and the feeling of being in Madison Square Garden," Freeman, who has never been to New York City before this week, told reporters. "I'm going to enjoy my experience, but I know at the end of the day what we're there for." While Old Dominion goes after the program's first NIT title, the second-seeded Cardinal are seeking their third NIT crown, having also won in 1991 and 2012. Senior guard Chasson Randle was a freshman - and the team's leading scorer - in 2011-12, and he arrives at Madison Square Garden eyeing two more victories - and a bit of history too.
LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened Stanford as a 2-point fave and is now -2.5.
ABOUT STANFORD (22-13 SU, 15-19-1 ATS, 17-17-1 O/U): Randle (2,326 career points) is the fourth-leading scorer in Pac-12 history - going back to its days as the Pac-10 - and can surpass Todd Lichti for third place on the list, as well as the all-time Stanford record, with 11 points Tuesday. "They say scorers are born. I think with Chasson, he just has an ability to put the ball in the basket," Cardinal coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters, adding that "it's a great moment. First of all, you're talking about a record that's been standing for a long time (since 1989) and it's still standing." Randle had 16 points, while Anthony Brown scored a season-high 26 in last week's 78-75 triumph against Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.
ABOUT OLD DOMINION (27-7 SU, 17-14 ATS, 8-17 O/U): The Monarchs are back in the NIT Final Four for the first time since 2006, having won nine of their last 10 games in large part thanks to Freeman (17.1 points this season). The junior guard battled an ankle injury earlier in the tournament but came up huge against Murray State as Old Dominion prevailed despite blowing a 10-point lead with under 3 1/2 minutes left. Arledge added 12 points in the quarterfinals and is averaging 14.7 points on 50 percent shooting in the NIT, up from his regular-season numbers of 8.3 points on 42.8 percent from the field.
TRENDS:
* Cardinal are 6-1 ATS in their last seven non-conference games.
* Under is 9-4-1 in Cardinal last 14 overall.
* Under is 5-1 in Monarchs last six overall.
Tuesday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
MIAMI HURRICANES (24-12) vs. TEMPLE OWLS (26-10)
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
NIT – Semifinals
Tip-off: Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Temple -1.5, Total 140
Miami and Temple will battle at Madison Square Garden Tuesday for a spot in the NIT Championship.
Miami faced Richmond last round and won 63-61 as a 3-point road underdog. The Hurricanes have won three straight games SU and have covered in their past two as well. This team has played excellent defensively over the past two games, allowing just 63.5 PPG. It will need to lock in defensively on Tuesday.
Temple, meanwhile, defeated Louisiana Tech 77-59 as a 4-point home favorite last round. The Owls have also won three straight games SU and have covered in their past two. This team has been on a tear offensively, averaging 80.0 PPG over the course of the tournament. It will need to find a way to score against a Miami defense that has been stellar.
These teams have met just twice since 1997 and have split wins both SU and ATS. Miami is 126-85 ATS when playing as a road underdog since 1997. Temple, however, is 10-3 ATS after a win by 10 points or more this season.
Temple comes into this game healthy, but G Angel Rodriguez (Wrist) is questionable for the Hurricanes.
Miami has been a very good defensive team all season, allowing just 63.4 PPG (87th in NCAA). It hasn’t been as good offensively though, as the Hurricanes are scoring just 68.4 PPG (149th in NCAA) on 43.4% shooting (187th in NCAA).
G Angel Rodriguez (11.9 PPG, 3.9 APG, 1.8 SPG) is questionable for this game. He is the leader of this Miami team and can score in a number of ways or find his teammates for open looks. If he is unable to play then it’d be extremely tough for them to advance.
G Sheldon McClellan (14.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 APG) is going to really need to be on his game if Rodriguez is either off the court or not playing to his best ability. McClellan had 16 points and six boards in 34 minutes against Richmond last game, but just two points in 27 minutes against Alabama in the second round of the tournament. The better McClellan will need to show up in this game or the Hurricanes will not be advancing to the finals.
C Tonye Jekiri (8.7 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG) has done his part for Miami in the tournament. He’s averaging 8.5 PPG and 11.0 RPG over the past two games and will need to continue to rebound the ball effectively moving forward. Jekiri is also a good shot-blocker but he has blocked only three shots in his past four games. He’ll need to do better in that department on Tuesday.
Like Miami, the Owls struggle on offense but know how to lock their opponents down on defense. Temple is averaging just 64.8 PPG (238th in NCAA) on 38.4% shooting (341st in NCAA) but allowing just 61.2 PPG (45th in NCAA).
G Will Cummings (14.9 PPG, 4.2 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.9 SPG) is this team’s most reliable scorer. Cummings relentlessly attacks the rim and is averaging 22.0 PPG in the NIT so far. He has gotten hot from the outside in this tournament as well; going 7-for-12 from three over the past three games. If he is knocking down his outside shots then it’ll be tough for Miami to beat Temple on Tuesday.
G Quenton DeCosey (12.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.2 APG) was unbelievable in the win over Louisiana Tech last game, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. He’ll see a lot of time matched up with McClellan in this game and must hold his own in that matchup.
G Jesse Morgan (12.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG) is another talented scorer in this backcourt and is averaging 18.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 23.5 MPG over the past two contests. He is a solid outside shooter (36% 3PT) and will need to get hot in order to help his team score on the tough Miami defense Tuesday.
F Jaylen Bond (7.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG) will be crucial in this game for Temple. He is one of the few players on this team that likes to get physical inside and he must rebound the ball well Tuesday. He had just three rebounds against Louisiana Tech after grabbing 15 against George Washington in the second round.