Tuesday’s NIT Tip Sheet

NIT Betting Results

The first two matchups in the quarterfinals for this season’s NIT men’s basketball tournament take place this Tuesday night on ESPN.

First up in Region 1, Penn State travels to Milwaukee to face the Marquette Golden Eagles at 7:00 before the Cardinals will host Mississippi State in a Region 2 matchup from Louisville.

No. 4 Penn Stateat No. 2 Marquette (ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Marquette -1 ½, Total 153

Betting Matchup

The Lions knocked Ohio State out of the recent the Big Ten Tournament as five-point underdogs before falling to Purdue by eight points in the semifinals as 8 ½-point underdogs. They came into the NIT as 9 ½-point home favorites in an opening round matchup against in-state rival Temple and went on to win 63-57. Enjoying the role of underdog, Penn State went on to beat Notre Dame 73-63 in Saturday’s second round matchup as a 5 ½-point underdog on the road. It is now 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games closing as an underdog.

Against Temple, the Lions overcame an 11-point deficit on the strength of junior guard Josh Reaves’ double-double (19 points and 11 rebounds) and a pair of clutch three-point shots by senior guard Shep Garner late in that game. In the victory against the Fighting Irish, sophomore guard Tony Carr elevated his game as the team’s leading scorer (19.5 points) with game-high 24 points. Penn State shot just 37.9 percent from the field on Saturday while going 9-for-26 from three-point range.

Marquette’s run in the Big East Tournament ended with a 94-70 loss to Villanova as a 11 ½-point underdog. It opened play in this tournament with a 67-60 victory at home against Harvard as a 12-point favorite. Covering at home as 4 ½-point favorites, the Golden Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals with a 101-92 victory against Oregon. This was the first time in the Golden Eagles’ last four games they covered a spread and the total has gone OVER in four of their last six games.

The 101 points scored against the Ducks was Marquette’s highest total of the season. Senior guard Andrew Rowsey led the way with 29 points and nine assists as one of four players in double figures playing off the bench. The Golden Eagles shot a blistering 57.6 percent from the field and they connected on 12-of-26 attempts from three-point range. Sophomore guard Markus Howards has been the team’s leading scorer all season long with 20.4 points per game and he added 18 points in the winning cause.

Betting Trends

-- The Nittany Lions have gone 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games against the Big East and the total has stayed UNDER in 16 of their last 21 nonconference games.

-- The Golden Eagles are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last seven Tuesday games.

-- This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

No. 4 Mississippi State at Louisville (ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Louisville -5, Total 143 ½

Betting Matchup

The Bulldogs lost to Tennessee 62-59 in their second game of the SEC Tournament, but they manage to cover as six-point underdogs. With Sunday’s 78-77 upset against Baylor as 5 ½-point road underdogs in the second round of the NIT, they are now a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last four outings. The total went OVER 135 points against the Bears after staying UNDER in four of their previous five games. Mississippi State is 6-1 ATS in its last seven road games and the total has gone OVER in five of those contests.

In a 66-59 opening round victory against Nebraska, the Bulldogs got a big effort from junior forward Aric Holman off the bench with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Quinndary Weatherspoon was the hero against Baylor with a game-winning three-point shot with time running out on the clock. The junior guard has led the way all season long with a team-high 14.5 points while converting on 48.4 percent of his shots from the floor. The Bulldogs are averaging 73.6 PPG.

Louisville dropped four of its last five regular season games SU, but it did beat Florida State as a 2 ½-point underdog before losing to Virginia by 17 points as a seven-point underdog in the ACC Tournament. After getting past Northern Kentucky at home in this tournament, the Cardinals beat Middle Tennessee 84-68 on Sunday as 4 ½-point home favorite. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games with the total going OVER in four of their last six games at home. Louisville is 5-4 ATS over its last nine games overall.

The duo of Ray Spalding and Jordan Nwora playing off the bench combined to score 34 points in Sunday’s win. The Cardinals also got a big effort from sophomore guard Ryan McMahon off the bench with 15 points while going 5-for-8 from the field. Louisville shot 53.7 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from three-point range. This was just the second time it surpassed its 76.1-point scoring average in its last nine games.

Betting Trends

-- The Bulldogs have failed to cover in seven of their last eight games against an ACC team and the total has gone over in five of their last seven games following an ATS win.

-- The Cardinals are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against the SEC. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five Tuesday games.

-- This will be the first meeting between the two in recent memory.