TCU vs. Central Florida Prediction
Which No. 4 seed will reach the NIT Tournament finals tonight when Central Florida faces TCU in the semifinals at 9PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, TCU is favored in tonight’s game, as the Horned Frogs are getting odds of -2.5 points against the Golden Knights. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 132 points. This game will be played from Madison Square Garden in New York.
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TCU has picked up wins over Fresno State (66-59), Iowa (94-92, OT) and Richmond (86-68) to get to today’s semifinal contest. The Horned Frogs sit at 22-15 overall and 17-18 against the spread. Over its last five games, TCU is putting up 78.8 points per game on offense while allowing 77 on defense. Vladimir Brodziansky is leading the team with 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while Kenrich Williams is adding 10.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest. The team recently lost Jaylen Fisher to a wrist injury. He was averaging 9.9 points and 4 assists per game.
Central Florida has defeated Colorado (79-74), Illinois State (63-62) and Illinois (68-58) to reach the NIT semifinals. The Knights now sit at 24-11 after winning nine of their last 10 games. They have covered in six of their last eight to move to 17-13 against the spread. Over their last five, UCF is averaging 70.6 points per game on offense while allowing 63.6 on defense. B.J. Taylor is leading the team with 17.6 points per game while Matt Williams is adding 15.1 points per contest.
TCU definitely looked good in its win over Richmond, but the Horned Frogs haven’t been great in the favorite role. They have failed to cover in four of their last six games as the favorite. UCF is hot overall and at the betting window right now. Their lone loss over the last month came against NCAA Tournament team, SMU. I like the Knights to step up, using their defense to really stifle the Horned Frogs.
NIT TOURNAMENT PREDICTION: CENTRAL FLORIDA +2.5