Georgetown and Minnesota will collide in the opening game of Tuesday night's NIT semifinal matchups at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Texas Tech and St. John's will meet in the nightcap.
Most sports books are listing Georgetown (18-14 straight up, 11-16 against the spread) as a three-point favorite, with the total at 146.
The Hoyas made their way to the Big Apple the hard way, winning three consecutive games on the road as underdogs. A 79-74 win over North Carolina as three-point underdogs came in the quarterfinals after outright wins at Tennessee and Providence. Mike Sweetney (22.9 points per game, 10.2 RPG) and Gerald Riley scored 22 points each in Chapel Hill, as the Hoyas exacted a small amount of revenge for a 1982 loss to the Tar Heels for the national championship.
Georgetown went 1-1 SU and 0-2 ATS in a pair of games at MSG for the Big East Tournament. The Hoyas dropped Villanova by a 46-41 score but failed to cover the eight-point spread. Also, they lost a 74-69 decision to Syracuse as four-point underdogs.
Minnesota (19-12 SU, 12-13 ATS) beat Temple in quarterfinals, 63-58, as a 5 1/2-point road underdog. The Golden Gophers won at Saint Louis in Round 1 before disposing of Hawaii at home. Minnesota has matched the 3-0 SU spree with a 3-0 spread mark in NIT action.
Rick Rickert tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win at Temple. Rickert, a sophomore forward, leads the Gophers in scoring (15.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.3 RPG).
Texas Tech (21-12 SU, 15-17 ATS) has been installed as a slim one-point 'chalk,' with the total resting at 136.
The Red Raiders have come on strong since head coach Bobby Knight forfeited his base salary ($250K) prior to the Big XII Tournament. Since then, Knight's club has compiled a 5-1 SU record.
Texas Tech scored an 80-72 home win over Georgia Tech as a seven-point favorite in the quarterfinals. Prior to the win over the Yellow Jackets, the Red Raiders recorded home wins over Nevada and San Diego State.
This is Knight's first appearance in the NIT since 1985, but he has a long history in the tournament. Knight has taken three schools to the NIT semifinals, with his 1979 Indiana squad knocking off Purdue by a 53-52 score to win the title. Three of his four Army teams which made the NIT qualified for the semifinals.
In 16 games outside of Lubbock, Texas Tech is 8-8 both SU and ATS.
St. John's (19-13 SU, 18-11 ATS) has saved Mike Jarvis' job with its 7-1 late-season surge. The Red Storm have posted a 6-2 ATS mark in that span, in addition to eight spread victories in 11 games. The lone outright loss in the last eight games was an overtime setback to Boston College in the Big East Tournament.
Senior guard Marcus Hatten (22.8 PPG) has been spectacular recently, scoring 15 points in a 79-71 win over UAB in the NIT quarterfinals. The eight-point triumph for St. John's came in a 5 1/2-point favorite role.
Hatten drained 30 points in a 73-63 win over Virginia in the second round. The Red Storm held off Boston University by a 62-57 count in Round 1.
The Johnnies will be making their first NIT Final Four appearance since '89 when they cut the nets down. St. John's won the lone meeting between these schools in the first round of the '83 NCAA Tournament, 85-67.
The Red Storm play many of their home games at MSG. For the season, St. John's posted an 11-6 SU record and a 7-8 spread mark at home.
Most sports books are listing Georgetown (18-14 straight up, 11-16 against the spread) as a three-point favorite, with the total at 146.
The Hoyas made their way to the Big Apple the hard way, winning three consecutive games on the road as underdogs. A 79-74 win over North Carolina as three-point underdogs came in the quarterfinals after outright wins at Tennessee and Providence. Mike Sweetney (22.9 points per game, 10.2 RPG) and Gerald Riley scored 22 points each in Chapel Hill, as the Hoyas exacted a small amount of revenge for a 1982 loss to the Tar Heels for the national championship.
Georgetown went 1-1 SU and 0-2 ATS in a pair of games at MSG for the Big East Tournament. The Hoyas dropped Villanova by a 46-41 score but failed to cover the eight-point spread. Also, they lost a 74-69 decision to Syracuse as four-point underdogs.
Minnesota (19-12 SU, 12-13 ATS) beat Temple in quarterfinals, 63-58, as a 5 1/2-point road underdog. The Golden Gophers won at Saint Louis in Round 1 before disposing of Hawaii at home. Minnesota has matched the 3-0 SU spree with a 3-0 spread mark in NIT action.
Rick Rickert tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win at Temple. Rickert, a sophomore forward, leads the Gophers in scoring (15.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.3 RPG).
Texas Tech (21-12 SU, 15-17 ATS) has been installed as a slim one-point 'chalk,' with the total resting at 136.
The Red Raiders have come on strong since head coach Bobby Knight forfeited his base salary ($250K) prior to the Big XII Tournament. Since then, Knight's club has compiled a 5-1 SU record.
Texas Tech scored an 80-72 home win over Georgia Tech as a seven-point favorite in the quarterfinals. Prior to the win over the Yellow Jackets, the Red Raiders recorded home wins over Nevada and San Diego State.
This is Knight's first appearance in the NIT since 1985, but he has a long history in the tournament. Knight has taken three schools to the NIT semifinals, with his 1979 Indiana squad knocking off Purdue by a 53-52 score to win the title. Three of his four Army teams which made the NIT qualified for the semifinals.
In 16 games outside of Lubbock, Texas Tech is 8-8 both SU and ATS.
St. John's (19-13 SU, 18-11 ATS) has saved Mike Jarvis' job with its 7-1 late-season surge. The Red Storm have posted a 6-2 ATS mark in that span, in addition to eight spread victories in 11 games. The lone outright loss in the last eight games was an overtime setback to Boston College in the Big East Tournament.
Senior guard Marcus Hatten (22.8 PPG) has been spectacular recently, scoring 15 points in a 79-71 win over UAB in the NIT quarterfinals. The eight-point triumph for St. John's came in a 5 1/2-point favorite role.
Hatten drained 30 points in a 73-63 win over Virginia in the second round. The Red Storm held off Boston University by a 62-57 count in Round 1.
The Johnnies will be making their first NIT Final Four appearance since '89 when they cut the nets down. St. John's won the lone meeting between these schools in the first round of the '83 NCAA Tournament, 85-67.
The Red Storm play many of their home games at MSG. For the season, St. John's posted an 11-6 SU record and a 7-8 spread mark at home.
