The field of 32 NIT teams had plenty of teams that were considered snubs from the NCAA men’s basketball committee, and two of the biggest will meet in Thursday’s Championship Game as the No. 1 Seton Hall Pirates take on the No. 1 Indiana State Sycamores at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN.
Seton Hall (24-12, 13-7 Big East) sealed their the NCAA fate thanks to a 91-72 loss to St. John’s to go one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament. Since they’ve run off four-straight wins, including an 84-67 rout of Georgia in the semifinal Tuesday night. 6’6 senior Kadary Richmond has averaged 21 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in the NIT, while Al-Amir Dawes has chipped in 20.3 points on 16-36 from three-point range.
Indiana State (32-6, 17-3 MWC) took care of SMU, Minnesota and Cincinnati at home before knocking off Utah at their secondary home of Indianapolis in the NIT semifinal. America has fallen in love with center Robbie Avila (17.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game), and the Sycamores continue to lead the nation in effective field goal percentage at 59.9%. Head coach Josh Schertz is going to be a candidate for plenty of open jobs after this game is over, as the unrelenting efficiency of his team shows he can bring an exciting style of ball to whatever program can sign him.
2024 March Madness picks: No. 1 Seton Hall vs. No. 1 Indiana State best bet
Betting lines from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Indiana State -3
Total: 158.5
Moneyline: Indiana State -155, Seton Hall +130
Best bet: Over 158.5
If this was a neutral court game, we’d be a bit more trepidatious. But the 75-minute drive to Indianapolis means most of Terre Haute will be heading across I-70 tomorrow night, as it’s already a sellout in the home of the Butler Bulldogs.
The Sycamores have averaged 1.253 points per possession in the NIT, including 1.1 against an excellent Cincinnati team defensively. Their efficiency and pace (37th nationally) should help see plenty of points on the board, while Richmond and Dawes will have plenty of players to target in the Pirates half-court sets as well.
It should be a shootout to determine the champion snub of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
