Indiana State vs. Seton Hall Prediction, Odds and Key Players for NIT Championship Game
By Reed Wallach
Indiana State and Seton Hall, two of the top seeds in the NIT Tournament, have made it to the title game, but who will emerge with the trophy on Thursday night?
Indiana State, playing close to campus in the Final Four, dropped 100 in the semis against Utah, but will face an elite defense in Seton Hall, who blew out Georgia to make the title game.
With two teams looking to leave the postseason with some hardware, who has the edge?
Here’s our full betting preview for the NIT Finals:
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Indiana State vs. Seton Hall Odds, Spread and Total
Seton Hall vs. Indiana State Betting Trends
- Indiana State 23-13-1 against the spread (ATS) this season
- Seton Hall is 8-10 ATS this season as an underdog
- Indiana State has gone OVER in 23 of 38 games this season
Indiana State vs. Seton Hall How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, April 4
- Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
- Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
- Indiana State Record: 32-6
- Seton Hall Record: 24-12
Indiana State vs. Seton Hall Key Players to Watch
Indiana State
Robbie Avila: The unique Indiana State big man is off a dominant showing on Tuesday in the semifinals, scoring 26 points with 10 rebounds and three assists, including three 3-point makes. Seton Hall will concede the perimeter, which can help get the Sycamores offense going, but Avila is going to have to deal with a ton of size in the Pirates frontcourt.
Seton Hall
Kadary Richmond: Richmond did a little bit of everything in the Pirates’ win on Tuesday, scoring 15 points with nine rebounds and six assists while also tallying three steals. Richmond will be tasked with slowing down the potent Indiana State perimeter attack, but also generating a ton of offense against a stout interior defense.
Indiana State vs. Seton Hall Prediction and Pick
The home court advantage for Indiana State is notable in this game with Indianapolis about an hour away from the Sycamores campus in Terre Haute. However, I’m going to take the underdogs in this title game.
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’s offense leaves some to be desired, but I believe its defense can keep this close in the NIT Finals.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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