Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine
A champion will be crowned today, as Chattanooga and UC Irvine face off in Indianapolis. The NIT comes to a close this evening, with one pretty surprising finalist and one that makes a lot of sense if you consider what the Anteaters have done over the last couple of seasons. The betting market seems to think Russ Turner’s squad will cut down the Hinkle Fieldhouse nets, as we’ve seen UC Irvine grow into a bigger favorite since the line was posted. Let’s break this one down and see if there’s a good bet to be made in Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine.
College Basketball Betting Splits | Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine Matchup Page
How to Watch Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine
How: ESPN/ESPN+
When: Thursday April 3, 9 p.m. ET
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine College Basketball Odds
Spread: UC Irvine -4.5
Total: 146
Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine Game Preview
Maybe we shouldn’t be all that surprised with Chattanooga’s NIT run. The Mocs went 15-3 in SoCon play during the regular season and they have won 18 of their last 20 games. An overtime loss to Furman in the SoCon Tournament and a four-point home loss to Samford are the only blemishes on their record since early January.
Third-year head coach Dan Earl seems to have his offense where he wants it now, but as we know, college basketball is in a new era and keeping teams together is virtually impossible. A NIT title would be a culmination of a building process that has the Mocs as a top-10 team by eFG% offense. They’re bordering on the top 50 in adjusted offensive efficiency, which is no small feat with their strength of schedule. The Mocs are ninth in 2P% and 44th in 3P% entering this game.
The defensive numbers are not nearly as good for Chattanooga, but the SoCon is an offense-first conference with a lot of good shooters, so that makes sense. This is the best team Earl has had by eFG% defense and TO%, but those were two low bars to overcome.
UC Irvine is the opposite. The Anteaters are an elite team defensively, ranking second in the nation in 2P% defense and eighth in eFG% defense. They have excellent rim protectors and do a terrific job of playing defense without fouling, as they have one of the 10 lowest free throw rates against in the country. They are not nearly as polished on the perimeter, as they’re below the national average in 3P% defense at 34%. Against a top-50 Chattanooga offense with a 3P Rate over 45%, that’s your key matchup tonight.
Northern Colorado was 9-of-16 from 3 in the NIT opener, but the last three opponents have combined to go just 16-of-59 from beyond the arc. The Anteaters played their first three games of the tournament at home and their trip to Indy for Tuesday’s game against North Texas was their first travel outside of the Pacific Time Zone since December 21.
The offense didn’t seem to suffer much, as the Anteaters shot 50% from 3 and went 15-of-31 on 2s against a stout North Texas defense. They were held under a point per possession by UAB. Nobody has come close to slowing down Chattanooga’s offense, so that’s another focal point here.
North Texas was just 5-of-23 on shots at the rim against UC Irvine, so that game probably should have gone differently with a 69-67 result. The Anteaters clawed back from being down 15 about 11 minutes into the first half. I’ll take the team that has been traveling and hanging around the Midwest that has the chance to shoot really well from 3 here.
Pick: Chattanooga +4.5
