It the finals of the NIT Tournament and we will see the Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the SMU Mustangs at Madison Square Garden in New York. The game has a start time of 7:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN. Vegas odds have the Mustangs listed as 3 point favorites, while the total sits at 132.
Stat Pack: The Minnesota Golden Gophers got to this game by beating High Point, St Mary's, Southern Miss and Florida State. The Gophers now stand at 24-13 on the year overall, but are just 3-3 on neutral courts. The Gophers average a modest 71.6 ppg (160th) on 44.6% shooting overall (153rd) and 34.4% from long range (130th). This is a good FT shooting team as they hit 74.5% from the charity stripe,which is 26th in the nation. The offense is led by the Hollins brothers, as Andre averages 13.4 ppg, while Austin scores 12.4 ppg. The only other player to score in double figures for the Gophers is Deandre Mathieu, as he averages 12.0 ppg. Defensively the team is good as they have allowed just 67.9 ppg on 42.4% shooting. Minnesota won the NIT in 1993 and 1998, but the last title was vacated due to an academic scandal.
As for the SMU Mustangs, they took care of UC Irvine, LSU, California and Clemson to reach this finals game. The Mustangs are searching for their first ever NIT Title. The Mustangs now stand at 26-9 on the year overall and have gone 5-2 on neutral courts this year. The SMU Mustangs are a team that is built on a stifling defense, as they come in ranked 22nd in the nation in points allowed (62.2 ppg), 7th in defensive FG% (38.3%) and 66th in 3 point defense (32.1%). Now this team isn’t all about defense, as they average 71.2 ppg (170th), while being a very good shooting team, as they connect on 48.3% of their shots overall (19th) and 38.0% from long range (46th). This is a poor FT shooting team as they have connected on just 68.3% from the charity stripe, which is 234th in the nation. The offense is led by Nic Moore, who averages 13.5 ppg, while Markus Kennedy leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is the only other Mustang that averages in double figures (12.4 ppg).
Pick: I like the Mustangs in this one (as well as the Under).SMU is playing very hard and want to show everyone that they belonged in the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs have a huge edge on defense and the Gophers won't be able to shoot like they did in the first half of their last game vs the Noles. They did cool off in the second half and ended up shooting just 38.8% from the floor for game. Let's also give the Mustangs a big coaching edge as well,with the young Pitino going up against Larry Brown. I feel that will pay dividends in the second half when more strategy is needed. I look for the Mustangs to pull away late for at least an 8 point win.
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