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NIT Insight
March 12, 2007
By Scott Rickenbach VegasInsider.com
T he Big Dance has selected all its contestants and we know the betting will be big on those games but we think there are excellent opportunities to build a little bank roll off of the teams that got the NCAA snub. Teams that did not get asked to the Big Dance can turn a number of ways when it comes to participating in the NIT and here is a look at how some of those teams might be worth the money to bet on or against.
Biggest Gripe - Syracuse Many believe the Orange might have the biggest gripe of them all in regards to not getting an invite and they very well could have a pretty good case. Question is not that they did not make it how will they react to playing in the NIT. The Cuse was very up and down all year and now that they are going to be spending time complaining about whether they should be in or not they might not have the focus needed. They draw South Alabama in round one, and the Jaguars will be playing with no fear and the Carrier Dome has not been the home court advantage it has been in the past. Look for the Orangeman to come out slow and covering in the first two rounds might be tough.
The One That Everybody Pulled For - Drexel Despite non-conference wins at Syracuse, Villanova and Creighton that are included in 14 road/neutral wins, the Dragons did finish fourth in the CAA. No name team in no name conference makes it very, very tough. What it does do is set them up emotionally to make an "I told you so" run. Unlike a Syracuse from a major conference, a tournament is a tournament and the Dragons can play with anybody. We think they can win a couple games and would be worth betting on as long as the number does not get ridiculously high.
History Hurt Them - Kansas State: If you don't think head coach Bob Huggins mess that he left at Cincinnati didn't factor into the Wildcats not getting the bid you need to get your head out of the books. The committee can say what they want, but they were not going to let Huggins walk in year one and look like a sparkling Knight. Yes the Wildcats have become the first major conference team in this era to end with 20-plus wins, 10-plus conference wins and a fourth-place or better finish in league play and miss the NCAAs. Good numbers but again their coaches' history is not good. Huggins history will also apply as his teams consistently underachieved in the NCAA Tournament and we would expect that to be the case again especially with a case of the not making the Big Dance Blues.
Lay It On The Line - Florida St. The Seminoles did have 12 losses in the regular season but you would have to say they were good losses as they all came against teams in the RPI Top 50. They also had wins this year against Florida and at Duke. This team has played really well and competing in the ACC will no doubt help in the tournament setting. We also like the fact that they are not considered a Big Time program and that will keep them in the category of needing to win to get respect. They could very well find themselves in the Big Apple and kicking butt and taking names on their trip north when it comes to covering the points.
As we said we know all the attention goes to the NCAA Tournament but don't overlook those that are not at the big dance as they can still mean big money to you and your bank roll.
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