College Basketball Knowledge
NIT
Florida's gym is being re-done; Gators won first two NIT games on the road- they've won four of last five games overall, losing to A&M by 6 in SEC semis. Gators beat St Joe's by 11, Richmond by 20 in two A-14 games. George Washington played four starters 33:00+ on Monday at Monmouth (Florida played Sunday); they beat Tennessee by 3 in only SEC game. A-14 teams are 5-3 vs SEC squads this spring.
San Diego State had 12,400+ fans for its win Monday; Aztecs are 20-3 in last 23 games, 10-1 in last 11 at home (lost to Boise St). Georgia Tech won easy at South Carolina Monday (two guys used more than 25:00); they've won eight of last ten games. Aztecs used only two guys more than 26:00 Monday- they've got #1 eFG% defense in country. Yellow Jackets are 12-3 outside the ACC this season.
CBI
Morehead State won eight of last nine games, scoring 83 ppg in winning first two games in this tourney; only two Eagles played more than 27:00 in their 67-possession win Monday. Ohio beat Tennessee State by 8 in its only OVC game; Bobcats won by 4-5 in first two tourney tilts, both at home. Ohio is an offensive team; Morehead State pressure on defense. Morehead is #72 experienced team; Ohio U is #289.
Vermont stays out west after winning at Seattle Monday; Catamounts are 9-1 in last 10 games, after a 14-12 start- they used five guys 30:00+ in Seattle Monday- they won three of last four true road games. Nevada scored 82 ppg in winning first two tourney games; Wolf Pack used only seven guys Monday; star Coleman returned with 15:00 off bench- three Nevada guys played 34:00+. 6-8 Oliver will be a handful for Vermont.
CIT
Ball State needed OT in both its first two tourney games, beating pair of OVC schools; Cardinals (4-0 in OT this year) were down 11 with 2:27 left Sunday, rallied at home to win/advance here, vs Columbia squad that had bye in this event, beat Norfolk State a week ago to get here, so they are much more rested here. Lions start four seniors; Ball State starts two sophomores and a freshman.
Grand Canyon won eight of last ten games; Antelopes weren't eligible for WAC tourney- they're thrilled just to be playing- they're 2-3 in last five true road games. Coastal Carolina won 12 of last 15 games after 8-8 start; Chanticleers won last four home games since losing to High Point by 68-67 Feb 11. Cosatal is #28 experience team; they start four juniors and senior. Grand Canyon, looking for future, starts three sophs.
Irvine's 7-6 center Ndiaye is probable here; Anteaters won five of last six games, winning last game in OT at North Dakota- they've won last four true road games. UL-Lafayette won four of last five games, winning at Furman to get here; Cajuns scored 88 ppg in first two tournament tilts. Both teams start three seniors; this should be a good game.
Wednesday's NIT Tips
By VegasInsider.com
This year’s National Invitational Tournament continues on Wednesday night with a pair of 4-2 matchups in the quarterfinals.
First at 7:00 p.m. (ET), the No. 2 Florida Gators will pay a visit to our Nation’s Capital to square-off against the No. 4 George Washington Colonials in Region 4. This will be followed by a Region 3 matchup between the No. 4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the No. 2 San Diego State Aztecs in a 9:00 p.m. ET tip at Viejas Arena in San Diego.
No. 2 Florida Gators at No. 4 George Washington Colonials
Opening Odds: George Washington -2, 147.5
Betting Matchup
The Gators started this tournament with a lopsided 97-68 victory over North Florida as 7½-point favorites before knocking-off Ohio State this past Sunday as slight 1 ½-point favorites with the total going OVER in both contests. Florida is now 4-1 both straight-up and against the spread in its last five outings and the total has gone OVER in seven of their last eight games.
Florida has had to journey on the road in this year’s NIT in light of current renovations at the O’Connell Center, but that has not stopped the Gators from cruising into the quarterfinals. They also lost their starting center sophomore John Egbunu the rest of the way due to thumb surgery, but that did not hurt their cause against the Buckeyes. Florida is averaging 73.6 points per game, but it has exceeded that total in six of its last eight games.
The Colonials stunned the No. 1 Monmouth Hawks 87-71 on Monday night as two-point road underdogs to earn an unexpected spot in Wednesday’s game. This followed a tight 82-80 victory against Hofstra in their NIT opener as six-point favorites at home. They are now 2-5 ATS in their last seven contests and the total has gone OVER in their last five games.
Junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh (16.7 PPG) and senior guard Patricio Garino (14.2 PPG) have been George Washington’s top two scorers all season long and they combined for 49 points in Monday’s win. Four of the team’s five starters scored in double figures and the Colonials shot 51.9 percent from the field while going 9-for-19 from three-point range.
Betting Trends
The Gators are 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games after failing to cover in their previous outing and they are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in their last four games against the Atlantic 10.
The Colonials are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against the SEC and they are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in 26 of their last 26 nonconference games.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams in recent memory.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at San Diego State Aztecs
Opening Odds: San Diego State -5, 133.5
Betting Matchup
Georgia Tech has made the most of its NIT bid with Monday’s big 83-66 upset of South Carolina as a four-point road underdog. This followed a convincing 81-62 victory against Houston as a four-point home favorite in the tournament opener. The Yellow Jackets are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games while going a profitable 7-3 ATS. The total went OVER 146 ½ point against the Gamecocks after staying UNDER in four of their previous five games.
The Yellow Jackets were able to open-up a 14-point lead over favored South Carolina at the half and they kept the pressure on until the final buzzer. All five starters scored at least 10 points and the team shot 50.8 percent from the field after hitting 50 percent of its 22 three-point attempts. Georgia Tech was ranked 11th in the ACC in scoring this season with 73.2 PPG, but it has now scored more than 80 points in each of its last three wins.
The Aztecs were the toast of the Mountain West in the regular season at 16-2 SU in conference play, but a costly 68-63 loss to Fresno State as four-point favorites in the MWC Tournament sent them the NIT route in the postseason. They are off to a solid 2-0 start both SU and ATS including Monday’s impressive 93-78 victory against Washington as five-point home favorites. The total has gone OVER in five of their last seven games.
San Diego State was actually ranked last in the MWC in scoring with just 68.1 PPG, but it came into this Tournament ranked fourth in the nation in points allowed (60.3). The 78 points given-up to the Huskies was the first time an opposing team crossed the 70-point mark since an early February victory over New Mexico. The Aztecs leading scorer this season has been sophomore guard Trey Kell with 12.6 PPG and he put-up 16 points in Monday’s win.
Betting Trends
The Yellow Jackets are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 road games and they have covered in 14 of their last 18 Wednesday games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five nonconference games.
The Aztecs are 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 games following an ATS win, but they have covered in five of their last seven games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last seven games outside their conference.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams in recent memory.