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The first game of the NIT semifinals Tuesday from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University features Utah of the Pac-12 taking on Indiana State of the Missouri Valley Conference with the Sycamores as short favorites on the college basketball odds.

MyBookie Line NCAAB Expert Analysis Utah vs Indiana State | Semifinals National Invitation Tournament Basketball Odds

How to Bet Utah vs. Indiana State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 7 PM ET
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Indiana State -1.5 (total 78)

Why Bet on Utah Utes?

Utah (22-14) advanced to the NIT semifinals with a 74-54 home blowout of VCU last Wednesday. The Utes hit 13-of-33 from beyond the 3-point arc and shot 44 percent (28-of-63) overall. VCU fell behind 18-2 in the game, but whittled the Utah lead to 23-20 on a free throw by senior guard Zeb Jackson with 5:57 left in the first half.

But Gabe Madsen and Branden Carlson buried back-to-back 3-pointers off VCU turnovers to push the Utah lead back to nine and it led 36-26 at the break. The Utes removed all doubt with an 11-0 run, sparked by two Madsen treys, to take a 47-28 lead with 16:13 left in the game. Utah owned a 43-35 rebounding advantage and scored 20 points off 13 VCU turnovers.

Utah’s Deivon Smith etched himself into Pac-12 and NCAA history when he pulled down his 10th rebound of the night with 6:01 left to play to record his fifth triple-double of the season before finishing with 17 points, 11 boards and 12 assists. The senior passed Jason Kidd, who had four in 1993-94, as the all-time leader in the Pac-12. His five triple-doubles is tied for second-most in a single-season in the NCAA with Vonterius Woolbright (Western Carolina) – who also achieved the feat this season. Smith will get at least one more opportunity to tie Kyle Collinsworth (2014-15, 2015-16) for the NCAA lead of six triple-doubles in a single season.

Smith is nearly averaging a triple-double in the NIT, posting 15.7 points per game, 9.0 boards per game and 10.7 assists per game while also shooting .516 from the floor. Smith was just four rebounds shy of a triple-double in the NIT first round game vs. UC Irvine before recording back-to-back triple-doubles against Iowa and VCU.

Madsen also became the single-season leader in made 3-pointers when he drained a triple with 4:00 on the clock in the first half. He passed Nick Jacobson for the single-season record – who had 99 back in the 2003-04 season. Madsen would finish with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from long-range. His 103 made 3-pointers is good for 24th in the country this season. Madsen has been on a tear in the NIT, averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists to go with his .476 shooting clip and .485 clip from 3-point range. He has made 16 threes in the three NIT games to join Simas Lukosius of Cincinnati (19) as the only player to record 16 or more 3-pointers in three NIT games dating to 1996-97.

The 36 games played for Utah is tied for the most games in a single-season ever while Cole Bajema, Ben Carlson, Madsen and Hunter Erickson are tied for the most games played in a single season with both records set to be broken once the NIT semifinal tips off. The Utes are in the NIT semis for the fifth time in school history. The Utes won the NIT in 1947 when Vadal Peterson’s squad defeated Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats 49-45 inside Madison Square Garden.

Utah has never faced Indiana State and is 17-10 all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference with its last two meetings coming against Wichita State.

Bet Utah to Win
NIT Lines Today, Basketball USA

Why Bet on Indiana State Sycamores?

Indiana State (31-6) was maybe the biggest snub for the NCAA Tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title but then losing to Drake in the conference tournament. The Sycamores got here with an 85-81 home win over Cincinnati last Tuesday.

Simas Lukosius‘ banked 3-pointer from the wing with nine seconds left pulled UC within 82-80 but also put him past the 1,000-career-point threshold. Following a 1-of-2 trip at the foul line by ISU, Lukosius was fouled in the backcourt as his shot hit the rim. It was called on the floor, and his intentional miss was not rebounded in time. In a game that featured eight lead changes and nine ties, neither team was able to secure more than a two-possession lead throughout a majority of the contest.

“Congratulations to Indiana State,” UC coach Wes Miller said. “They’re a very good basketball team. I’m certainly disappointed in the outcome. We were in position to win the game. I was really proud with how our guys prepared and how they came ready to play. We just couldn’t close it out, and we’ve been in that situation a lot this year. It’s frustrating to end like that. Listen, we did some really good things, especially short-handed and some guys playing a lot of minutes, and I thought they handled that very well.”

Star center Robbie Avila led the Sycamores with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the three-point line. Avila connected on a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:01 remaining to break a 77-77 tie and Indiana State closed out the game from the free throw line. Avila also had six assists, primarily on back cuts to Ryan Conwell (18 points, six rebounds) as the Sycamores shot 44.8% (26-of-58) from the floor as a team.

Jayson Kent did not miss from the floor going 5-of-5 from the floor, 2-of-2 from the three-point line, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line on his way to scoring 16 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Kent in the NIT is shooting 21-for-26 in the NIT 80.8% (three games). Isaiah Swope was the fourth Sycamore in double-digits with 12 points.

The victory marked the second time this season Indiana State has won while shooting worse than the opponent (ISU 44.8%, Cincinnati 50.0%). ISU scored 19 points off 13 Cincinnati turnovers, all coming in the second half. Indiana State scored 22 fastbreak points, scoring 19 of 22 in the second half. For the first time this season, the Sycamores recorded a three-game stretch with 10 or fewer turnovers (10, 10, 8).

Indiana State is in the NIT semifinals for the first time in school history. Coach Josh Schertz has called Hinkle Fieldhouse “College Basketball’s Cathedral” — an arena that goes back to 1928. Schertz, incidentally, reportedly was offered the head coaching job at Louisville but turned it down. UofL would hire College of Charleston coach Pat Kelsey. It doesn’t mean Schertz is definitely returning back to Terre Haute next season. It has been widely reported the ISU coach has had discussions with Saint Louis about their vacancy to replace the fired Travis Ford.

“It is the best shooting gym in the country by far,” assistant coach Matthews Graves said. “It’s just got a great feel. The floor is soft, it’s raised up, the backdrop is terrific. It is 1,000% a shooter’s gym. When you walk in, the [court] is up on a box spring. It feels great on your legs. It just has a little extra bounce to it. That’s the one thing you never forget — how soft that floor is.”

This is only the second time in school history that Indiana State has won at least 30 games. The Sycamores have consistently been ranked in the top five in the nation in field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage. ISU led the MVC in defensive efficiency at 100.3. Indiana State also led in the best defensive two-point and three-point percentage (48.8%, 32.0%).

Bet Indiana State to Win
NIT Lines Today, Basketball USA

Expert Prediction

Utah 79, Indiana State 76

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