The 2011 National Invitational Tournament kicks off tomorrow afternoon and naturally we've got betting odds on all the games. Of course, if you're betting on NIT college basketball games, you might need to get out more often. I might very well be one such person, so we'll see if I heed my own advice.
Whatever the case, we've got some gambling spreads for our Bay Area teams. Today the St. Mary's Gaels face off with the Kent State Golden Flashes. Saint Mary's is a heavy favorite with their 11 point spread one of the biggest of the first round. The line opened at -10.5 for SMC but it has bumped up a slight notch. This season the Gaels are 13-14 against the spread and 11-11 when they are favored. The Golden Flashes are 18-13 against the spread and 6-4 as an underdog. After losing the WCC championship game St. Mary's came back and crusher Weber State on Friday. If they retain any sort of chip on their shoulder from their NCAA tournament snub I believe they'll roll Kent State.
Tomorrow the California Golden Bears will do battle with the Mississippi Rebels. Cal opened as a 3.5 point favorite and is currently up to 4.5 points.Cal is 15-14 against the spread this year and 4-6 as a favorite. Ole Miss is 16-13 against the spread this year and 4-3 as an underdog. Needless to say, this is a fairly tight betting game. Cal is a solid enough basketball team, but they're also wildly inconsistent. They'll play an Arizona close and then get destroyed in the Pac-10 tournament by USC. I really have no idea what to make of them in terms of betting. That's usually a good reason to stay away.