History will be made on Tuesday night as the NIT Tournament Final Four is set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time ever. A bracket that began with 32 teams has been whittled down to four semifinalists. In the second NIT Semifinal, the Utah Valley Wolverines will represent the WAC when they take on the UAB Blazers out of Conference USA. The Utah Valley vs UAB college basketball betting picks view the team from Birmingham as the favorite in what is expected to be a run-and-gun affair.
The following game preview provides the college basketball betting odds, trends and KenPom ratings before sharing our official Utah Valley vs UAB prediction for the NIT Tournament semifinal matchup.
Utah Valley vs UAB Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
NIT Tournament Semifinal
Utah Valley Wolverines (28-8) vs. UAB Blazers (28-9)
Time: Approx. 9:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Orleans Arena — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: ESPN
Utah Valley Wolverines Preview
Going off of the final College Basketball NET Rankings, all three of Utah Valley’s NIT Tournament wins to date could be classified as an upset. After picking up a pair of double-digit road wins over New Mexico and Colorado to begin their run before getting past Cincinnati in the Quarterfinal Round. The Wolverines now return to Orleans Arena, the site of their epic collapse in the WAC Tournament. Utah Valley blew a 23-point lead to Southern Utah in the Semifinal Round and failed to reach the conference championship.
UAB Blazers Preview
Many analysts believed that UAB should’ve received consideration for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers and all of Conference USA have certainly supported that belief in postseason play. Any Kennedy’s team rolls into the NIT Tournament Final Four having won 11 of its last 12 games dating back to mid-February. The Blazers overwhelmed Southern Mississippi and Morehead State in their first two NIT games before knocking off Vanderbilt on the road to punch their ticket to Las Vegas.
Utah Valley vs UAB College Basketball Betting Picks and Odds
College basketball betting odds for Utah Valley vs UAB can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: UVU: (+160) | UAB: (-185)
Point Spread: UVU: +4 (-110) | UAB: -4 (-110)
Total: 151.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
College Basketball KenPom Ratings
The following table displays the KenPom adjusted efficiency ratings for the two teams involved in Tuesday night’s second NIT Semifinal. In addition to overall efficiency margin, offensive, defensive and tempo ratings are included.
| Team | Overall AdjEM (Rk) | AdjO (Rk) | AdjD (Rk) | AdjT (Rk) |
| Utah Valley | +12.64 (64) | 108.0 (117) | 95.3 (30) | 70.0 (42) |
| UAB | +14.96 (44) | 112.6 (44) | 97.7 (52) | 70.5 (32) |
Utah Valley vs UAB College Basketball Betting Trends
- Wolverines are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
- Four of the Wolverines’ last five neutral site games have gone OVER the total.
- Wolverines are 5-1 straight up in their last six games against Conference USA opponents.
- Blazers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
- The UNDER is 4-0 in the Blazers’ last four games against teams with a winning percentage above .600.
- Blazers are just 1-5 ATS in their last six games against WAC opponents.
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Utah Valley vs UAB Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
Contrary to the first NIT Tournament Semifinal, the Utah Valley vs UAB odds are calling for a fast-paced, high-scoring affair. Considering the talented shooters that adorn both rosters and the fact that both teams rank among the fastest in adjusted pace for the season, this expectation is certainly valid. The over/under of 151.5 sits a whopping 37 points higher than the game total for the Wisconsin vs North Texas matchup!
Although UAB falls under the mid-major umbrella, it’s worth noting that this is hardly a mid-major team. The Blazers’ roster is adorned with high-quality transfers. Among the most notable names are Tulane transfer and leading scorer Jordan Walker and LSU transfer and leading distributor Eric Gaines. UAB’s top two rebounders, Trey Jemison and KJ Buffen, are also Power 6 transfers from Clemson and Ole Miss, respectively.
For Utah Valley, the chances of pulling off the upset will hinge directly on the performance of the backcourt. Guards Justin Harmon, Le’Tre Darthard and Trey Woodbury have all averaged north of 13 points per game on the season. In the WAC Tournament at the Orleans Arena, UVU was quite effective from beyond the arc as well. Similar knockdown shooting may be required to compete with a more athletic Blazers squad in the NIT Tournament Final Four.
In addition to the on-court personnel, Utah Valley may be without head coach Mark Madsen in Las Vegas. Although he has been linked to the vacant coaching position at California, Madsen has actually been away from the team in preparation for the birth of his fourth child. Whether or not this has much of an impact on the final outcome remains to be seen.
While all signs point towards laying the points with UAB, the fact that the line has already moved two full points relative to the opening number indicates that the best value is already gone. The Blazers remain the more compelling ATS option, but bettors should also consider taking the Under. Yes, both teams like to play fast, but both have also been sound at the defensive end all season long. Utah Valley’s streakiness at the offensive end could also prove impactful when it comes to the final tally.
UNDER THE TOTAL will be our official college basketball betting Utah Valley vs UAB prediction for the NIT Tournament Semifinal matchup.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives UAB a 57.6% chance to win this game outright.
Bet: UNDER 151.5 (-110 at BetUS Sportsbook)
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