NIT Odds Favor Washington And Stanford In Semifinals Tuesday
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The final four teams of the NIT do not quite resemble the Final Four of the March Madness bracket.
But just like the Final Four, where top seed Kentucky is the favorite to win the title, so too is Washington favored as the NIT semifinals tip off at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night.
The Huskies were the top NIT seed and they face No. 6 Minnesota. Surprisingly, online sportsbooks have kept the point spread very low, as the superior Huskies are just 1-point chalk.
However, the Golden Gophers have been on a terrific role for bettors, going 7-0 ATS in their past seven games overall.
Predicted Score: 75-73 Washington
ATS Pick: Huskies -1
In the other semi final Tuesday, another surprising low seed faces a higher seed when No. 5 UMass takes on No. 3 Stanford. The Cardinal were favored by 2.5 points at most sportsbooks, which would set up an all-Pac 12 NIT final if the favorites both win.
The Minutemen have been underdog of seven or more points in their past three games and won all of them outright, a huge run for dog bettors. They are 7-3 ATS in their past 10 games as underdogs.
Contrast that with Stanford’s weak 1-7 ATS mark in recent games when they are favored by 2 or less points.
Predicted Score: 79-76 Stanford
ATS Pick: Cardinal -2.5
Last time out for Minnesota, they were a 78-72 winner as they battled Middle Tennessee on the road. They covered in the match as a 3.5-point underdog.
Washington was a 90-86 winner in its last match at home against Oregon. They failed to cover the 5-point spread as favorites.
The Minutemen grabbed a 72-70 win over the Dragons on Tuesday, behind a 20-point effort from Chaz Williams at John A. Daskalakis Center.
The battle between the Cardinal and Wolf Pack didn’t turn out to be much of a battle at all as Nevada was handed an 84-56 defeat on Wednesday at Maples Pavilion.
