The Seton Hall Pirates aim for their first title in over 70 years when they meet the Indiana State Sycamores on Thursday in the 2024 NIT Championship Game. Seton Hall (26-12), which captured the NIT crown in 1953, is one victory away from its second title after cruising past Georgia 84-67 in the semifinals. Indiana State (32-6) is appearing in the championship game of a national tournament for the second time in school history following its 100-90 triumph over Utah on Tuesday. Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the national championship game in the 1979 NCAA Tournament but lost to Magic Johnson and Michigan State.
Tipoff from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Sycamores are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Indiana State vs. Seton Hall odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 159.5. Before making any Seton Hall vs. Indiana State picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 152-109 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It also has a strong 32-21 (+890) record on top-rated spread picks this season, and its bracket picks rank in the 92nd percentile among all CBS Sports Bracket Challenge entries so far in 2024. Anybody following has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Indiana State vs. Seton Hall and just locked in its 2024 NIT Championship Game predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for Seton Hall vs. Indiana State:
- Indiana State vs. Seton Hall spread: Sycamores -3.5
- Indiana State vs. Seton Hall over/under: 159.5 points
- Indiana State vs. Seton Hall money line: Sycamores -167, Pirates +140
- ISU: The Sycamores are 21-12 against the spread as favorites this season
- SHU: The Pirates are 16-19-1 ATS in 2023-24
- Indiana State vs. Seton Hall picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Indiana State can cover
Tuesday's victory was the 10th in 11 contests for the Sycamores, whose only loss in that span was an 84-80 setback against Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title game. The club reached the century mark in points twice during the regular season and has matched that total in the NIT, scoring 101 against SMU in the first round before its effort versus Utah. Indiana State had two players with at least 25 points in both of those contests, with sophomore guard Ryan Conwell (26) and sophomore center Robbie Avila (25) doing so against the Utes on Tuesday.
Conwell, who also had six rebounds and four assists, made four 3-pointers en route to tying his career high in points. Avila finished with 10 boards for his sixth double-double of the season and first since Feb. 3, when he registered 20 points and 11 rebounds versus Drake. He has eclipsed the 20-point mark in back-to-back contests for the fourth time in 2023-24 and first since ending the regular season with a three-game streak. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why Seton Hall can cover
The Pirates got off to a fast start in their semifinal victory, opening the game with an 18-3 spurt, and never looked back as Georgia was unable to get its deficit below nine points. They made 47.1% of their shots from the field and 40% from 3-point range while limiting the Bulldogs to 38.5% and 19.2%, respectively. It was Seton Hall's fourth consecutive victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse and seventh in its last nine visits.
Al-Amir Dawes led the Pirates with 20 points and fellow senior guard Dre Davis added 19 while also pulling down nine rebounds. Dawes made half of Seton Hall's eight 3-pointers to increase his season total to 88, the ninth-most in a campaign in program history. Senior guard Kadary Richmond, who leads the team with an average of 15.6 points per game, scored 15 while recording nine boards and six assists. He also made three steals to increase his total with the Pirates to 182 and move past Jordan Theodore for 10th place on the school's all-time list. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Indiana State vs. Seton Hall picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 152 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations. You can see the picks only at SportsLine.
So who wins Indiana State vs. Seton Hall, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Seton Hall vs. Indiana State spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 152-109 roll on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
