Ole Miss vs. Monmouth Pick
Can No. 5 Ole Miss find a way to get past No. 4 Monmouth when the two meet up tonight at 7PM ET in the NIT Tournament?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Monmouth is favored at home tonight, as the Hawks are getting odds of -2 points against Ole Miss. The over/under total for the game is listed at 164 points. These two have no recent meetings and tonight’s game will take place from OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
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Monmouth earned the fourth seed in this tournament by going 27-6 on the season, including a 13-1 record at home. The Hawks were 13-15-1 against the spread, but only 5-7-1 against the spread at home. Monmouth averaged 81.2 points per game this season while allowing 73.1 on defense. Justin Robinson led the offense with 19.6 points and 4.7 assists per game while Micah Seaborn adds 13.2 points per game. Seaborn is not available for this game after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Ole Miss is 20-13 on the season after playing a competitive SEC schedule. The Rebels were just 4-6 in true road games. Ole Miss went 19-13-1 against the spread this season and 10-4-1 ATS away from home. Ole Miss is averaging 77.7 points per game on offense this year while allowing 76.1 on defense. The offensive average dips to just 72.6 points per contest on the road. Deandre Burnett averages 16.7 points to lead the team while Sebastian Saiz adds 14.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest.
This is a big opportunity for Monmouth to beat an SEC team at home. The Hawks have a strong offense that is even tougher at home. They average 84.8 points per game while shooting 38 percent from 3-point land. Ole Miss is giving up an average of 77 points per game on the road and I think the Rebels will struggle to match Monmouth on offense. The Rebels aren’t known for being an explosive offense, which will hurt them tonight.
NIT TOURNAMENT PREDICTION: MONMOUTH -2