Nelly’s Tuesday NIT Quarterfinal Knockout
- Handicapper
- Nelly's Sports
- League
- NCAAB
- Competition
- North Texas vs Oklahoma State
- Release Date
- 03/25/2025 10:05 AM
- Event Date
- 03/25/2025 09:05 PM
- Bet Type
- Point Spread
- Pick
-
North Texas +1.5 (-110)
(DraftKings)
- Outcome
- Win
- Analysis
- Oklahoma State has an impressive home record this season to command a favorite price in the NIT quarterfinals with the Cowboys 5-0 S/U at home in non-conference play before going 7-3 S/U at home in Big XII play, while beating Wichita State by 10 points at home to start the NIT as well. The losses came to Houston, Arizona, and Texas Tech, three teams still playing in the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma State put up 89 and 85 points in its NIT wins but now will face a stifling crawl of a pace from North Texas, one of the slowest paced teams in the nation for Ross Hodge. North Texas is 26-8 S/U this season with a winning road record and only two losses all season outside the nation’s top 100, both coming by slim margins in the AAC season. North Texas did win on the road vs. a Big Ten team earlier in the season, controlling the pace for a 54-51 win at Minnesota and the non-conference schedule proved more difficult that it looked at first glance with McNeese and High Point turning into NCAA Tournament teams. Memphis was the top team in the AAC and a fast-paced team like Oklahoma State and North Texas played competitively in that matchup with a four-point road loss in the only meeting. When Oklahoma State played slow-paced teams in Big XII play, they lost badly, going 0-4 vs. Houston, West Virginia, and Baylor, with those defeats by a combined 51 points. This is a veteran Cowboys team in the first season under Steve Lutz but the statistical profile has many problem signs with a very high turnover rate while a significantly worse 3-point shooting team on offense and defense compared with the Mean Green. The interior defense for North Texas is five percent better than Oklahoma State while the Mean Green are also nearly six percent better at the free throw line. Oklahoma State was the worst offensive efficiency team in the Big XII while North Texas was a top two offense and defense in the AAC. The Big XII is obviously a much tougher conference but Oklahoma State picked up only one impact win in the Big XII season with a narrow home win over Iowa State, just after the Cyclones lost point guard Keshon Gilbert. While still led by Grant McCasland these teams met in the NIT quarterfinals two years ago in Stillwater with North Texas winning 65-59 and the Mean Green program has recent postseason wins over Purdue, Wisconsin, and LSU as well.
Thank you for playing with Nelly’s and Best of Luck.