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The battle for the 69th best team in college basketball will be waged on the floor of Madison Square Garden when the NIT plays its version of the final four on Tuesday with live odds found here
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Two intriguing matchups are waiting and we can give a shout out to the little guy as Lipscomb has advanced. The Bisons and Wichita State Shockers both won three road games to get here with WSU knocking off the top three seeds in its bracket. The teams will be meeting for the first time.
The other game features a pair of clubs very familiar with each other. Big 12 rivals who share the same state, the Texas Longhorns and TCU Horned Frogs will be meeting for the third time this season. TCU won both those earlier meetings, and we all know how difficult it is to beat a team three times in one season.
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Wichita State Shockers vs. Lipscomb Bisons
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Opening CBB Odds: Wichita State -1, O/U 150.5
Wichita State vs. Lipscomb TV Coverage: ESPN
Both teams took the unorthodox route to get here, winning each of their first three games on the road while besting higher seeded clubs in their region. Wichita State bumped off Furman, Clemson and Indiana to become the first team in the tournament’s history to sweep the top three seeds on its way to the semifinals. Lipscomb nearly repeated the feat taking down No. 4 Davidson in the opener followed by No. 1 UNC Greensboro and No. 2 NC State last week.
What does all that mean? Well, absolutely nothing, except that both squads are comfortable on the road. The Shockers turned their season around after a dismal start that saw them go 1-6 in AAC action and 8-11 overall. They’ve won 14 of their last 17 games with a group of freshmen getting better as the season progressed. Dexter Dennis was AAC first-team all-rookie averaging 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds. Jamarius Burton leads the team in assists while averaged 5.9 points and Erik Stevenson contributes 6.6 points and 22 minutes per game off the bench.
The team leader, though, is Markis McDuffie, who scored 21 points in the Indiana game and tops the squad with 18.3 per outing. The Shockers have been the best at limiting opponents in the NIT allowing just 62.7 points per game. Their job is to stop Garrison Mathews and Lipscomb’s high-powered offense to reach the final. And in case you don’t know, “we’re a good team. We’ve won big road games already,” Bisons coach Casey Alexander said.
Mathews, the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, averages 20.6 points per game and more than doubled that in a sparkling performance against NC State. He hit 8 of 13 three-pointers and scored 44 points in the 94-93 win. The Bisons rank among the top-10 nationally in scoring, scoring margin and assists, and they’ve averaged 89.7 points in three NIT games, tops in the field and seven points higher than their season average.
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NIT Score Prediction: Lipscomb 84, Wichita State 79
Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Opening CBB Odds: TCU -1.5, O/U 138
Texas vs. TCU TV Coverage: ESPN
There won’t be many secrets on the floor when these teams meet for the third time this season. And the spread shows just how closely matched they are. The line actually jumped the fence in favor of the Frogs after Texas was favored on the opening spread. Their points per game and points allowed are close, their records are close, and the spread is close. The only thing that isn’t is the season series, which the Frogs own 2-0. TCU won by four at home and blasted the Horns, 69-56, in Austin towards the end of the regular season.
Texas got one key player back in leading scorer Kerwin Roach II, who missed games at the end of the season due to injury. Roach scored 21 points in the overtime win over Xavier and tallied 14 last game against Colorado. The Horns will need even more from him with Jaxson Hayes done for the year after getting hurt in the Big 12 tournament. TCU won its three games by double figures and got little from leading scorer Desmond Bane against Xavier.
Bane, who averages 15.3 points per game, scored just six in that contest. However, he’s enjoyed the sight of the Longhorns with a 34-point night in the last matchup. Bane, JD Miller and Kouat Noi are all averaging better than 15 points in the tournament and TCUs depth and balance will be tough for the Horns to overcome.
NIT Score Prediction: TCU 73, Texas 67
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