NCAA basketball on Wednesday night and we will see the UC Irvine Anteaters travel to Moody Coliseum in Abilene, Texas to take on the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the NIT Tournament. The game has a start time of 9:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN 2. Vegas odds have the Mustangs listed as 9.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 131.
Stat Pack: The UC Irvine Anteaters had a solid year, going 23-11 overall and 13-3 in the Big West Conference. The Anteaters went into the Big West tournament as the top seed, but were upset by Cal Poly SLO in the semifinals. UC Irvine averages just 171 ppg (183rd), but they shoot the ball very well, hitting 47.3% of their shots, to rank 35th in the nation. They do struggle from the FT line, hitting just 63.9% of their freebies, to rank 337th in the nation. Luke Nelson leads te team in scoring at 11.7 ppg, while close behind is Chris McNealy (11.1 ppg) and Will Davis (11.0 ppg), who also leads the team in rebounding (6.3 ppg). Defensively, this is a sound team that comes in ranked 38th in the nation in points allowed (63.6 ppg) and 4th in the nation in defensive FG% (37.5%).
The SMU Mustangs had quite a year as they went 23-9 on the year, but that record just wasn’t enough to impress the committee thanks mainly to a weak non-conference slate. The Mustangs were probably the biggest snub by the committee, so they may be out to prove something in the NIT. Just like the Anteaters, SMU is a team that is built on a stifling defense, as they come in ranked 20th in points allowed (62.3 ppg), 5th in defensive FG% (37.7%) and 59th in 3 points defense (31.8%). Now this team isn’t all about defense, as they average 71.4 ppg (166th) on 48.7% shooting overall (16th) and 37.2% from long range (66th). The offense is led by Nic Moore, who averages 13.7 ppg, while Markus Kennedy leads the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and is the only other Mustang that averages in double figures (12.1 ppg).
Pick: This SMU team was snubbed big time by the committee and I see them trying to make a statement in this game and for this team that means bringing the defensive intensity. This team already plays great defense, but at home they have allowed just 59.1 ppg on a mere 35.1% shooting. They will take on a struggling UC Irvine offense that has averaged just 62.8 ppg in their last 5 games and just 66.9 ppg on the road. SMU has scored 76 ppg on their home floor, but I don't expect them to come all that close to this one vs an Anteater defense that has allowed just 48.4 ppg in their last 5 games overall and 62.3 ppg on the road this year. Neither teams plays at an uptempo pace and both teams play excellent defense. We also note that the Under is 24-5 in UC Irvine's last 29 games overall and the Under is 11-1 in their last 12 non-conference games. Very hard to expect more than 125 points in this one.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
RJ Bell Talks Daily Fantasy Sports — LISTEN on Soundcloud
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for CBB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
College Basketball Free Picks: Oregon vs BYU Betting
What college Basketball bettors need to know about Oregon Ducks vs BYU Cougars in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday (3/20/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's David Glisan with Brady Kannon and host Steve Fezzik.