Preseason NIT Championship Preview
The Preseason NIT concludes at Madison Square Garden on Friday night with a Top-25 clash between No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 10 Purdue on the college basketball betting schedule.
The Boilermakers’ road to the final went through Eastern Michigan, Loyola Chicago, and Boston College. Purdue rolled over the Eagles 87-58 as a 22-point favorite on the college basketball odds in the opening round, as Robbie Hummel poured in a team-high 18 points.
Next up for the Boilermakers were the Ramblers, who they easily dispatched 78-46 as an 18.5-point favorite. E’Twaun Moore led Purdue in that win with 14 points. In the NIT semis Purdue received its first real test of the tourney against Boston College, but they had no problem downing the Eagles 71-63 as an 8-point favorite. Moore led the Boilermakers again with 19 points.
The Sooners tournament schedule included wins over Mississippi Valley State, Davidson, and UAB on their way to the finals. The Delta Devils were merely a bump in the road for Oklahoma, as they hammered Mississippi Valley State 94-53 as a 31-point favorite. Blake Griffin delivered a double-double in the win with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Oklahoma had a big challenge from Davidson in the next round, but despite 44 points from Wildcats star Stephen Curry the Sooners came out on top 82-78 as a 5.5-point favorite. Griffin delivered again for Oklahoma with 25 points and 21 rebounds. In the semis the Sooners extinguished the Blazers with a 77-67 victory as a 3-point favorite. Once again it was Griffin leading the way with 32 points and 15 rebounds.
Purdue and Oklahoma last met in 2006 when the Boilermakers edged the Sooners 74-71 as a 4-point underdog. In six overall matchups the Boilermakers and Sooners have split the series 3-3, but Purdue leads ATS at 4-2.
