NIT Semis heat up MSG
By Brobury Sports
Heels getting hot
North Carolina has made a Final Four for the second year in a row, only this time it’s the NIT. The Heels face the Rhode Island Rams on Tuesday night. Here’s the preview from BroburySports.com.
North Carolina is a one-point underdog. This game is from New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, with Mississippi (+1) vs. Dayton the other semi. Game-time is 9 pm ET on ESPN2.
North Carolina (19-16 SU, 12-21 ATS) had a very disappointing regular season after winning the national title last year. However, they’ve gotten hot in the NIT, winning three straight and ‘covering’ the last two against Mississippi State and UAB.
Freshman John Henson had 14 points against UAB, and he’s starting to play better after replacing the injured Ed Davis in the starting lineup. Forward Tyler Zeller was questionable to play after a cut above his eye, but he went 21 minutes and had seven boards and five blocks.
This is a good tournament for the Heels to regain their swagger a bit. An NIT title won’t help too much on the recruiting trail, especially with arch-rival Duke in the Final Four, but it can hurt either.
Rhode Island (26-9 SU, 14-17-1 ATS) is out of the Atlantic 10. This is an underrated conference with Xavier, Temple and Richmond making the Big Dance. Xavier had a great chance to go to the Elite Eight, losing to Kansas State in double overtime.
The Rams’ path to the NIT semis has been Northwestern, Nevada and Virginia Tech, only failing to ‘cover’ against Nevada. Virginia Tech is out of the ACC and split games with North Carolina this year.
URI forward Delroy James had 18 points against Virginia Tech and exploded for 34 against Nevada. James (13.2 PPG) is second on the team in scoring behind guard Keith Cothran (14.1 PPG).
These teams are very even statistically with Rhode Island scoring 76.3 PPG and allowing 71.9 PPG. UNC is at 74.9 PPG and 70.3 PPG respectively.
North Carolina has the overall size advantage, especially with the 7-foot Zeller coming off the bench. It’s a little surprising they’re the small ‘dog here.
Bet on North Carolina and Rhode Island in the NIT semis at BroburySports!