St Mary’s Gaels vs Valparaiso Crusaders NIT Tournament Betting Preview & Odds
NIT Tournament action on Tuesday night and we will see the St Mary’s Gaels travel to Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana top take on the Valparaiso Crusaders. ESPN will carry this game, which has a start time of 7:00 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the Crusaders listed as 4.5 point favorites, while the total has been set at 131.
The St Mary’s Gaels went 27-5 overall and 15-3 in the WCC, but they lost in the Tournament finals and the committee didn’t feel that they did enough to make it into the Big Dance, so here they are in the NIT Tournament. The Gaels got the the 3rd round of this tournament by beating New Mexico State 58-56 and then Georgia 77-65. St Mary’s was 7-3 SU on the road this year and they are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs non-conference opponents. The Gaels have 6 players that average 7.9 ppg or more and they are led by Emmett Naar, who averages 14.2 ppg. Dane Pineau leads the team in rebounding at 8.1 rpg, while also scoring 11.3 ppg. Rounding out the double digit scorers on the team are Calvin Hermanson (11.1 ppg) and Joe Rahon (10.9 ppg). Offensively The Gaels check in at 145th in the nation in scoring, putting up 74.5 ppg, while also ranking 1st in shooting overall and 8th from long range, but they are below average at the charity stripe (198th). On defense they have been very strong as they come in ranked 5th in the nation in points allowed, giving up just 60.9 ppg, while also ranking 47th defensive FG% overall and 97th in 3-point defense. St Mary’s is 222nd in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 9.6 turnovers per game (6th) and force just 9.6 turnovers per game (344th).
The Valparaiso Crusaders were the Horizon League regular season champs, but they were upset by Green Bay in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League tournament and so here they are in the NIT Tournament instead of the Big Dance. Valpo got here by beating Texas Southern 84-73 and Florida State 81-69 and they are now 16-1 SU and 8-6 ATS at home for the year. The Crusaders are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600, but just 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up win. Valpo has 7 players that average at least 6.p ppg and they are led by Alec Peters, who averages 18.5 ppg and also leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 rpg. The only other player to average in double figures is Keith Carter at 10.2 ppg. The Crusaders are a decent offensive team that comes in ranked 102nd in the nation in scoring, putting up 76.2 ppg, while also ranking 162nd in shooting overall, 103rd from long range and 68th from the charity stripe. On defense they have been very strong as they come in ranked 9th in the nation in points allowed, giving up just 62.7 ppg, while also ranking 3rd defensive FG% overall and 85th in 3-point defense. Valpo is is 6th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 13.0 turnovers per game (212th) and force just 12.8 turnovers per game (148th).
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