NIT Semifinals Betting Preview: NIT’s Final Four Meet in Vegas
Pair of Solid Games on Tap Tuesday

Semifinals Offer Bettors Competitive Matchups
It’s not quite the NCAA Tournament, but the NIT has provided basketball fans with some solid games. Some of the NCAAB teams playing in the NIT probably deserved to make the Big Dance. All four remaining teams are in Ken Pomeroy’s top 64, but didn’t make the cut primarily due to automatic bids.
The NIT Semifinals betting preview shows a pair of games for Tuesday that look fairly appealing for bettors. The college basketball spreads say these games can go either way, with one expected to be high-scoring and the other a defensive standoff. The two winners of Tuesday’s games will meet at the Orleans Arena for the title on Thursday.
The college basketball spreads show North Texas -1.5 with a total of 115.5. The Mean Green is -120 on the moneyline in this battle between two slow-paced teams. North Texas is No. 363 in the country in adjusted tempo. Wisconsin is No. 341. Both teams are much better on defense than on offense. North Texas is No. 24 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 71 on offense. The Badgers rank No. 132 on offense and No. 23 on defense.
The Mean Green is coming off a 65-59 overtime win against Oklahoma State. North Texas allowed 20 offensive rebounds but held the Cowboys to 33% shooting. Oklahoma State was just 15 of 25 at the free throw line in the game. North Texas wasn’t much better from the field, going 23 of 65 (35.3%) in the winning effort.
The NIT Semifinals betting preview shows North Texas being a solid 3-point shooting team at 36.1%, which is No. 73 in the nation. The Mean Green is just No. 232 in the country on 2-pointers, hitting 49.2%. The Badgers are No. 58 against the 3-pointer and No. 254 against the 2-pointer. That could be an edge to Wisconsin, as the Badgers’ defensive strength can possibly slow down North Texas’ outside game.
The Badgers aren’t a great shooting team and North Texas ranks in the top 16 in both 2- and 3-point defense. Wisconsin doesn’t turn the ball over, ranking No. 1 in turnover percentage, but the Badgers can’t capitalize with their dismal shooting.
For a smaller school like North Texas to be favored over a big-name team like Wisconsin is a bit telling. The Badgers should get some bets based on name recognition and pedigree alone. But the Mean Green are a solid team and believe they get the win in this one.
The NIT Semifinals betting preview shows UAB -1.5 with a total of 152. The UAB Blazers are -120 on the moneyline. This game should see a lot more up-and-down the court than the early game, with both teams ranking in the top 50 in adjusted tempo. The Wolverines are No. 42 and the Blazers are No. 34. Utah Valley is a better 2-pointing team, while the Blazers are better from the outside but don’t take many 3-pointers.
The Blazers have played better teams in the NIT, defeating New Mexico, Cincinnati and Colorado, while UAB defeated Southern Miss, Morehead State and Vanderbilt. UAB is solid at grabbing offensive rebounds, something the Wolverines don’t defend against all that well. UAB can shoot the ball, ranking No. 65 in 3-point shooting percentage and 48 in 2-pointers. Utah Valley is in the top 30 in both 2-point and 3-point defensive percentage.
The Utah Valley Wolverines aren’t a great 3-pointing shooting team but are solid from 2-point range. Utah Valley does turn the ball over and aren’t a great offensive rebounding team. Both teams do scores less than 27% of their points from 3-point range, so there should be plenty of inside shooting.
The defensive numbers of both teams indicate that the under is probably the way to go here. But the projected tempo of the game is a cause for concern. The Blazers were 23-13 in totals this season, while Utah Valley went 17-16 but the Wolverines were money against the point spread. The Wolverines were 24-9 ATS and 6-3 as an underdog. Utah Valley was best when it was an away favorite, going 7-1 against the number.
UAB has slightly better numbers overall. The Wolverines get a bit of a defensive edge but UAB is better on defense. Orem, Utah is about a six-hour driver from Las Vegas, so it isn’t unreasonable to expect the Wolverines to have some fans at the game. While Utah Valley is tempting, the best play here may be the under, especially if teams start off a bit slow to get a feel for the game.
Follow us on Twitter