The NIT Championship Game from Las Vegas on Thursday will be an All-Conference USA affair as UAB and North Texas meet for the fourth time this season – and last as C-USA foes.
Which side of the short moneyline is the smart play? Find out next! We also have a lean on the total so let’s break down the NCAAB odds for this game.
NCAAB Pick: UAB ML (-125) at Caesar Sportsbook
UAB Blazers vs. North Texas Mean Green
Thursday, March 30, 2023 – 09:30 PM EDT at Orleans Arena
There will be a first-time NIT champion crowned on Thursday night from Las Vegas when UAB faces North Texas in the fourth meeting of the season between the Conference USA rivals. UNT won two of three in the regular season but lost the most recent in the C-USA Tournament.
It will be the last league game for both as both teams, along with Charlotte, Florida Atlantic (in the NCAA Tournament Final Four), Rice and UTSA, are all headed to the American Athletic Conference next season. The schools officially join on July 1 so the football teams will also start playing there this season.
It’s the first NIT title game for both programs. I personally think the NIT winner should get an automatic spot in the next year’s NCAA Tournament, but both teams will look a lot different by then so it’s never going to happen. The underdog is 8-3 ATS in the past 11 meetings at the top online sportsbooks.
Crushing Missed Free Throw For UAB Backers
One reason we often recommend moneylines on short spreads is to avoid a push, which is what happened Tuesday if you took UAB at -2 against WAC school Utah Valley, with the Blazers winning 88-86 in overtime.
No question that UAB deserved to win as it led most of the game. The Blazers had a few good looks at the end of regulation to avoid OT but couldn’t find the basket. In OT, Ty Brewer hit a jumper with 45 seconds to go to give the Blazers the lead, and star Jordan Walker knocked down three of four free throws down the stretch to help put the game away.
He missed that free throw with one second left to kill UAB -2 bettors. By the way, Walker is shooting .921 (35-for-38) from the free-throw line in the postseason.
Top Scorer
Walker, among the nation’s leading scorers at 22.3 ppg, had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds but was just 5-for-23 from the field. He frankly hasn’t been great in this event overall shooting-wise, which tells you how good UAB is. Brewer had a career game vs. Utah Valley with 30 points (tied career high), 12 rebounds and five steals while shooting 13-for-17 (.765) from the field.
Amazingly, he didn’t go to the free-throw line once. Brewer began his career at Southeastern Louisiana before transferring to East Tennessee State and then UAB for this season.
In the season series, Walker is averaging 26.0 ppg vs. North Texas, missing one of the three. UAB’s 29 wins this season are a school record – it has won 16 of its past 18 — and it is in the NIT title game for the first time in program history.
Making History
“If you can’t make history, let’s be that team that’s remembered. So, come out [Thursday], get the dub and we’ll be that UAB team remembered by history,” guard Eric Gaines said.
The Blazers were previously 0-2 in semifinal games. They were picked to win C-USA in the league’s preseason coaches poll but finished third in the regular-season standings behind FAU and North Texas. The Owls defeated UAB in the C-USA Tournament title game and are in the NCAA Tournament Final Four. No team from the state of Alabama has ever won the NIT.
- Blazers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.
- Blazers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
- Blazers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
- Over is 9-2 in Blazers last 11 neutral site games.
North Texas Still Without Ousmane
We backed North Texas at -1.5 for its semifinal vs. Wisconsin and the Mean Green rallied for a 56-54 win. UNT leads the nation in scoring defense at 55.7 ppg and held the Badgers without a point for the final 9:07 of the game. The Badgers made just one of their last 16 shots — with 10 straight misses.
It was truly extraordinary and a crushing beat for bettors who played over 115 points as that looked like a lock win on the under about midway through the second half.
North Texas, which trailed 41-29 at halftime, took its first lead of the game at 56-54 with 2:08 remaining on Moulaye Sissoko’s shot in the lane to cap a 10-0 run. Rubin Jones scored all 12 of his points after halftime. UNT held Wisconsin’s Chucky Hepburn to zero points in the second half after he had 15 in the first half.
“That’s a fantastic Wisconsin team that we have a lot of respect for,” said UNT head coach Grant McCasland. “But man, we have a tough group. To hold them to no points and no baskets over the last nine minutes and to hold them to 13 second-half points is awesome. I thought our team just got more active as the game went on.”
School Record
It was a school-record 30th win of the season for North Texas, which forced eight Wisconsin turnovers in the second half. UW entered averaging less than 9.0 turnovers per game. It’s the first time UNT has advanced to the NIT title game. The Mean Green are now 11-3 in the McCasland era in NCAA postseason games. This might be McCasland’s final game in charge at UNT as he has been linked to the Texas Tech opening.
Starting big man Abou Ousmane played the first game of the NIT for North Texas but not since for personal reasons and is not expected Thursday. The junior averages 11.1 points and 6.0 rebounds and his size will be sorely missed against a bit UAB frontcourt. In the two Mean Green wins vs. UAB this season, Ousmane averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 assists.
The Mean Green have an experienced roster with three fifth- or sixth-year players and two fourth-year seniors, but no Ousmane will be the difference Thursday.
- Mean Green are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games following a ATS win.
- Mean Green are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games overall.
- Mean Green are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
- Over is 4-1 in Mean Green last 5 games following a straight-up win.
NCAAB Pick: Over 127.5 (-110) at Bet365
