Indiana State vs. Seton Hall Final Score Prediction for NIT Championship Game
By Reed Wallach
All eyes in college basketball will be on the NIT Tournament finals on Thursday.
Both Seton Hall and Indiana State will look to cap off a strong season that led to a near-NCAA Tournament berth with some hardware. With a high level matchup with a trophy on the line, let’s key in on the final score prediction for the game.
Yes, it’s a long shot, but this can help give some insight into how I see the game playing out come Thursday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Below, you’ll find the odds for Seton Hall vs. Indiana State, part of our betting preview and our final score prediction.
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Seton Hall vs. Indiana State Odds, Spread and Total
Seton Hall vs. Indiana State Betting Preview
Seton Hall’s defense does an elite job of shutting off the interior for opponents while contesting opponent’s 3-point shots. After playing in the Big East and seeing motion-heavy offenses like Marquette and UConn, I believe the Pirates will be wise to the Sycamores offense.
Indiana State is the best 2-point offense in the country, but Seton Hall has the length to shut down looks in close, 38th in field goal percentage allowed at the rim, per Haslametrics.
Seton Hall’s defense is physical, but plays defense without fouling, allowing the 26th lowest free throw rate in the country while also pressuring the rock at a top third rate nationally.
Indiana State has the offense to overwhelm Seton Hall, but I believe the Pirates offense can keep up with Indiana State not being a threat to turn over the shaky ball handling of the Pirates. Indiana State is 279th in turnover rate on defense, which is a break for Seton Hall, who is 291st in turnover rate but offset it by dominating the offensive glass, 19th in OREB%.
Seton Hall vs. Indiana State Final Score Prediction
This game is expected to be a high scoring affair, but I do think that Seton Hall’s defense can make this game a bit lower scoring with the team's ability to dictate the glass and contest perimeter jump shots.
Indiana State was able to score at will against Utah, lifting Branden Carlson away from the rim and get clean looks from both the inside and perimeter. The Sycamores shot 80% on two-point shots to offset a pedestrian three-point shooting night, just 35%, national average but below ISU’s typical elite standards.
However, this won’t be the case against Seton Hall, who is 102nd in two-point field goal percentage and 38th in field goal percentage allowed at the rim.
I think this game may be dictated by Seton Hall’s physicality and it’s played close, give me Indiana State in a barnburner, ending with Seton Hall covering.
Final Score Prediction: Indiana State 74, Seton Hall 72
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.