NCAAB: BETTING THE NIT CHAMPIONSHIP
Just 2 ½ weeks ago, coach Ed DeChellis and his Penn State team watched the NCAA Tournament Selection Show with disappointment as they were one of the teams left out in the cold.
Apparently though, the Nittany Lions took this snubbing and used it as motivation to make a postseason run of a different kind, in the NIT Tournament.On Thursday night from Madison Square Garden, they find themselves playing for a championship against a #3 seeded Baylor Bears team that was overlooked as a club capable of reaching New York.
The Bears have been installed as a four-point favorite with a total of 138. See which side of the action your colleagues are backing on the BETTING TRENDS page.
The funny thing about Penn State being here, is that they were a Hail Mary shot away from being bounced in the first round of the tournament by George Mason.
Since PG Taylor Battle’s 3PT shot at the buzzer of that game, the Nittany Lions have gone on to three convincing wins, including twice as an underdog.
If you consider the path that Penn State took to get to the NIT title game, it’s nothing when compared to how far the Baylor program has come in recent years. Since the devastating events surrounding Patrick’s Dennehy’s murder in 2003, and the follow-up uncovering of recruiting and other program violations, Baylor has clearly turned things around under HC Scott Drew.
A championship here would be perhaps the final chapter in what has been a remarkable rise from NCAA purgatory.
Speaking of road success, it’s hard to top the achievements of the Baylor Bears, particularly when it comes to tourney action. Under HC Scott Drew, Baylor is 16-7 ATS in all tournament games, and 40-25 ATS on the road versus teams with a winning record. That last mark improves to 19-9 ATS if you only consider the last two seasons’ games. Furthermore, the Bears got to this point by winning their last three games on foreign turf, first at Virginia tech, then at Auburn, and finally on Tuesday in the semifinal against San Diego State.
In terms of handicapping this matchup, if either team has a significant statistical edge, it would be Baylor in shooting the ball, both from the field and from the foul stripe. The Bears have been very efficient offensively in the NIT run, shooting 50% or better from the floor in all four games. They also are better than 46% from the floor and 71% from the foul line on the season. Meanwhile, Penn State shoots just 44.3% and 65.9% in those areas.
Tip-time for Thursday night’s championship contest is 7 pm ET on ESPN.
