The No. 2 seed North Texas Mean Green (29-7) battle the No. 2 seed Wisconsin Badgers (20-14) in the NIT Semifinals on Tuesday. Tip from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the North Texas vs. Wisconsin odds as we make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
North Texas took down Oklahoma State 65-59 in overtime as a 4-point underdog in the quarterfinals of the NIT. G Tylor Perry led the way with 23 points while F Moulaye Sissoko grabbed 15 rebounds including 8 on the offensive end. The Mean Green are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) in their 3 tournament games thus far and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 outings to improve to 20-14 ATS this season.
Wisconsin knocked off Oregon 61-58 as a 1-point underdog in the quarterfinals. G Max Klesmit led the way with 18 points and the Badgers shot 92.3% from the free throw line (12 of 13). They are 2-0-1 ATS in the tournament and 5-3-2 ATS in their last 10 games, improving to 15-17-2 ATS on the season.
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North Texas vs. Wisconsin odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:03 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): North Texas -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Wisconsin +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): North Texas -1.5 (-110) | Wisconsin +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 114.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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North Texas vs. Wisconsin picks and predictions
Prediction
Wisconsin 63, North Texas 58
Moneyline
WISCONSIN (+100) is worth a split bet on the moneyline and against the spread. The underdog is showing good value at even money, but there is merit in taking the single point of insurance as well considering how tight the quarterfinals were for both teams.
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Against the spread
LEAN WISCONSIN +1.5 (-110).
The Badgers have found success this season by moving the ball around and finding the open guy which has led them to rank 30th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.359) while North Texas ranks just 235th in that metric (0.948).
Where the true discrepancy lies is Wisconsin’s ability to create extra scoring chances. The Badgers have averaged 3.1 extra scoring chances per game (46th) this season and 2.7 extra chances per game during their 3 tournament games. The Mean Green average is just 0.8 per game (135th) with that number dropping severely in tournament play to -6.7.
With ball movement and second-chance opportunities, Wisconsin should be looking at an NIT Championship berth after Tuesday night but the extra point of insurance doesn’t hurt.
Over/Under
BET OVER 114.5 (-110).
Only 3 of the Mean Green’s last 10 games would have hit the Under with this line, and none of the Badgers’ last 10 games would have hit the Under with this line.
The Over is 4-1 in the Mean Green’s last 5 games, 4-1 in their last 5 Tuesday games 4-0 in their last 4 games following an outright victory.
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