NIT Betting Odds and Ends for Penn State Basketball

The 2017-2018 Penn State Basketball season continues with tonight’s first round game against Temple in the NIT. While we were all dreaming for an NCAA Tournament bid, the Nittany Lions provided us with a wildly entertaining season that could still result in a satisfying ending.

If you’re feeling bullish on the Nittany Lions, there is a wealth of sports betting info from recommended sportsbooks that can help decision making before you place a wager. Before you go spending all your disposable income on the NCAA Tourney, let’s take a quick look at some of the more intriguing odds for Penn State in the NIT.

Odds Penn State wins its first round game against Temple?

-Fractional odds: 4/9
-American odds: -225
-Spread: 5.0

It’s fair to say Temple basketball has fallen off a bit since the John Chaney era, but they certainly are no pushover either. The Owls managed to finish above .500 with a 17-15 record, and were 8-10 in the AAC, good for seventh in the conference. While the record wasn’t fantastic, Temple had a few huge wins this season, besting Wichita State, Auburn and Clemson. They also went toe-to-toe with Cincinnati earlier in the season, but ultimately fell short in a 55-53 loss at home.

Odds Penn State wins its region (makes the NIT Final Four):

-Fractional odds: 6/1
-American odds: +600

If Penn State gets past Temple, they will be in for a tough match-up against Notre Dame in the second round (Notre Dame beat Hamptom 84-63 in the first round on Tuesday). The Fightin’ Irish were widely viewed as one of the biggest tournament snubs, especially after finishing the season strong thanks to preseason All-American Bonzie Colson returning from injury. Like Temple, Notre Dame also had a big victory against Wichita State, but narrow losses to UNC, Virginia and Miami didn’t give the Irish the boost their resume desperately needed to make the Big Dance.

Odds Penn State advances to the Championship Game

-Fractional odds: 12/1
-American odds: +1200

Penn State has a history of performing well in the NIT, but will face some stiff competition to make it to the Championship Game. The most challenging potential opponents to get past looks to be Baylor, Louisville, Marquette, Nebraska, Oregon and, as previously mentioned, Notre Dame. This Penn State team has proven they can play well against some of the best teams in the nation, but also lose to inferior competition when they’re unable to put things together for a full 40 minutes.

Odds Tony Carr wins NIT MVP

-Fractional odds: 33/1
-American odds: +3300

This sure is an intriguing possibility. While Penn State would need to get far (likely to the championship, if not win the whole darn thing) for Carr to be considered, he’s mot one you should bet against. Carr finished as the Big Ten’s leading scorer, and nearly always seems to come up big when the team needs him the most.