Utah vs. Indiana State Final Score Prediction for NIT Semifinal
By Reed Wallach
Utah and Indiana State start the NIT Semifinals on Tuesday with the Sycamores close to home looking to take out another high major foe in its pursuit of a postseason title in the Utes.
Indiana State enters as the favorite, a top seed after narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament, mainly due to its md-major conference affiliation in the Missouri Valley Conference, but the team has rolled through its opponents en route to the semifinals.
Utah poses a stiff test on a neutral floor, but can the Sycamores make good on its seed and make the Finals? You can check out our betting thoughts on this game, but I’m going to take a stab at the final score prediction with an eye on nailing the game script and cashing in on a long shot bet.
Here’s all the info you need, including our final score prediction, for Tuesday’s semi finals matchup.
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Utah vs. Indiana State Odds, Spread and Total
Utah vs. Indiana State Betting Preview
From my betting preview on Monday morning, Indiana State has some significant edges in this game:
I think this is a brutal matchup for Utah, who has particularly struggled away from home and will be playing essentially a road game in the NIT semis (and finals potentially) with Terry Haute a stone’s throw from Indianapolis.
Utah ranks 361st in Haslametrics away from home rating as the team benefits from playing in elevation in Salt Lake City, so I expect to see a drop off in play in Indianapolis, and I believe the team will struggle against the potent Sycamores offense that can pull the rim protecting Carlson away from the rim and get shots towards the rim at a high clip.
The big man battle will be the one to watch as both players are capable from beyond the arc, but this game may be decided at the free throw line as Utah ranks as the 347th-best team from the charity stripe this season at 65%. That’s pretty glaring when looking at its opponent, as Indiana State is second in the country in free throw percentage at over 80%.
I’ll take Indiana State to advance to the NIT Finals.
Utah vs. Indiana State Expert Score Prediction
The big man matchup is going to make for some compelling television, but I believe that Indiana State’s inventive offense and ability to pull Carlson from the rim is going to be more impactful.
This should be a high scoring affair, but I believe the Utes run out of gas in the second half while the Sycamores likely feed off what should be a near-home crowd at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Utah’s offense has been humming in NIT play, but Indiana State leads the nation in effective field goal percentage, and I believe the team ices it at the free throw line.
I’ll take Robbie Avilia and the mid-major to pull away late.
Final Score Prediction: Indiana State 86, Utah 79
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Track Reed's bets here!