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Jeffrey Hunter
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Posted by: Uncle Charlie on March 31st, 2009 | 0 CommentsIf you randomly picked four colleges out of hat, it would be difficult to find four more different universities that will be competing at Madison Square Garden tonight. Tonight’s gathering is like a crazy stew, throwing all kinds of different types of meats and vegetables together, and blending unusual spices, yet somehow it tastes pretty darn good despite the odd mix.
In the opening game, you have you schools that couldn’t be anymore different, at least culturally by location. With a veteran cast returning, Baylor (23-14, 12-17 ATS) was chosen to finish third or fourth in the Big 12. The Bears had defensive deficiencies this year and the offense was more inconsistent, which they couldn’t overcome, finishing a disappointing 5-11 in league play. A 66-62 home loss in the final game in Waco looked to have cemented the careers of five seniors who came to Baylor after the program was given the worst penalties of any university since SMU got the death penalty in 1987.
However, this group of young men who took a chance on their coach Scott Drew and a belief of restoring something left for dead, melded together during the conference tournament and finished second, losing to Elite Eight participant Missouri. That would have been a terrific ending, yet these Bears were still on the hunt and the snuck by Georgetown at home and won as road underdogs at Virginia Tech and Auburn, truly earning a spot in the Big Apple.
For the seniors on Baylor, who were only allowed to play Big 12 conference games as freshmen, this makes it worthwhile and they are 12-3 ATS in road games after two or more wins over the last three seasons.
San Diego State (26-9, 19-13 ATS) was expected to be a Mountain West Conference contender and they were. Though they fell short of goal of making the Big Dance, veteran coach Steve Fisher has kept the right perspective for his club.
“We don't view this as a consolation tournament," coach Fisher told the San Diego Union-Tribune earlier in the NIT. "We view this as the most important tournament that's going on right now, 'cause it's our tournament."
The Aztecs are 22-2 and 15-5 ATS when posting a better field-goal percentage than the opposition and 14-1 and 11-2 ATS when holding foes below 40 percent shooting. San Diego State is slight one point underdog with a total of 135 at Bookmaker.com. The Aztecs are 13-5 ATS off a cover, while Baylor is 4-11 ATS as a favorite this season.
In the second game, it’s a consolation prize for Notre Dame, while for Penn State; it’s another step in the journey building a basketball program. For the Fighting Irish (21-14, 12-18 ATS), it was a winter of discontent, after being as highly ranked as eighth in the country in November. Not enough defense, not enough shots made, left the Notre Dame players stunned and quiet.
"It almost got to the point in the locker room where it was just silence; no one had anything to say," senior Kyle McAlarney said. "Now it was just everyone yelling and everyone just psyched. We feel like we've accomplished something."
Off their win over Kentucky, the Irish come in 8-1 ATS after two consecutive games as a home favorite over the last two seasons.
This will be Penn State’s (25-11, 17-12 ATS) fifth trip to MSG for the NIT. The Nittany Lions are seeking a different outcome, having lost three times in the semis and once in the championship game. This year’s team defeated Final Four bound Michigan State on the road for the first time ever and upset Florida on their home floor to advance.
Coach Ed DeChellis summed it up this way, “For the seniors, it's their last shot at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Penn State is on the receiving end of 4.5-points, with a total 139.5. The Nittany Lions have performed well against good three-point shooting teams; with 33-18 ATS record in road games versus teams making 37 percent or more beyond the arc. The Irish hope their luck continues, but are just 9-18 ATS after a game where they covered the spread.
The NIT action starts at 7 Eastern on ESPN2 with the winners advancing to Thursday’s championship tilt.
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IC WINNERS
While not the stats guru like SoupCan, I. C. Winners can still mix it up with the best of them in a sports forum. In his high school and college days, he was a thoroughbred of knowledge but has since moseyed out to pasture to enjoy action at a more focused and subtle pace. His 2007 campaign was a year like no other going 17-1 heading into bowl season where he finished out with a 26-7 record overall.
SOUP CANNED
Wily veteran who would give any sports savant a run for his money. His love of sports is many, yet his true love is baseball. He is a diehard Sox fan while also love's college hoops. One thing to remember, if you ever get into a conversation with him at a bar and think you can stump him on stats, make sure that you have your deep pockets to buy plenty of rounds of drinks.
