George Washington Colonials vs Valparaiso Crusaders NIT Tournament Finals Betting Preview & Odds
It’s on to the Finals of the NIT Tournament and we will see the George Washington Colonials take on the Valparaiso Crusaders at Madison Square Garden in New York. ESPN will carry this game, which has a start time of 7:00 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Crusaders listed as 2 point favorites, while the total has been set at 133.
The George Washington Colonials have had an impressive run through the NIT Tournament and here they are in the Finals, with a chance to win the NIT Tournament for the first time in school history. The Colonials got to the Finals knocking off Hofstra by 2, top-seeded Monmouth on the road by 16, a very solid Florida team by 5 and San Diego State by 19. Their average margin of victory is 10.5 ppg in the tournament so far. The Colonials are now 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games, but just 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous. GW is led by Tyler Cavanaugh, who averages 16.8 ppg and hits 42.3% from long range. He has much better in the tournament as he has averaged 21.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg and has hit 10 of 20 from long range. 2nd on the team is Patricio Garino, who averages 14.1 ppg and hits 42.7% from beyond the arc, while Kevin Larsen rounds out the double digit scorers on the team at 12.1 ppg, while hitting 45.5% from downtown and leading the team in rebounding at 8.3 rpg. The Colonials enter the game ranked 116th in the nation in scoring, putting up 75.6 ppg, while also ranking 141st in shooting overall, 69th from long range and 22nd from the charity stripe. The defensive numbers have been decent as they come in ranked 94th in points allowed, giving up just 68.7 ppg, while also ranking 137th in defensive FG% overall and 100th in 3-point defense. The Colonials are 70th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 11.3 turnovers per game (57th) and force 11.8 turnovers per game (239th).
The Valparaiso Crusaders were the Horizon League Champs and now they find themselves in a spot to win their first ever NIT Tournament Title. Valpo got here by beating Texas Southern by 11, Florida State by 12, St Mary’s by 16 and BYU by 2. Their margin of victory in the tournament thus far has been 10.3 ppg. The Crusaders are now 6-1 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games, but just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs a team with a winning straight up record. Valpo is led by Alec Peters, who averages 18.4 ppg and also leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 rpg, plus he hits 44.8% from long range and 85.2% from the charity stripe. He has been red hot in the tournament as he has averaged 22.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg so far. The only other player on the team that averages in double figures is Keith Carter at 10.3 ppg. The best long range shooter on the team is Jubril Adekoya, who hit 58.1% of his shots from downtown. The Crusaders are a decent offensive team that comes in ranked 117th in the nation in scoring, putting up 75.6 ppg, while also ranking 163rd in shooting overall, 112th from long range and 96th from the charity stripe. The defense has been excellent for the Crusaders this year as they come in ranked 9th in the nation in points allowed, giving up just 62.4 ppg, while also ranking 3rd defensive FG% overall and 79th in 3-point defense. Valpo is is 6th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit 13.1 turnovers per game (228th) and force 12.9 turnovers per game (142nd).
