CIT Basketball Odds: Purdue Fort Wayne vs Tarleton State

While the NCAA Tournament doesn’t resume until Thursday with the start of the Sweet 16, there is college basketball around the country on Monday night as Purdue Fort Wayne faces Tarleton State in the CIT semifinals. The Texans are solid home favorites on the college basketball odds.

MyBookie NCAAB and Expert Analysis Purdue Fort Wayne vs Tarleton State | Semifinals College Insider – Tournament Betting Odds

How to Bet PFW at Tarleton State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 7 PM ET
Where: Wisdom Gym, Stephenville, Texas
TV: None national
Stream: None
Opening NCAAB Lines: Tarleton State -5.5 (total 151.5)

Why Bet on Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons?

PFW is a Horizon League team that opened this event with a 77-75 win at Bowling Green last Wednesday. The Mastodons utilized a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead at 64-61 in the second half. Two Jason Spurgin free throws drew the Falcons back within one, but a transition layup for Purdue Fort Wayne stretched the lead back to three at 66-63.

Marcus Hill made a layup to get within one again with the lead stretching back to 69-65 for the Mastodons. The lead stretched again for Purdue Fort Wayne, this time to 71-67, but a Trey Thomas three cut it down to 71-70 to force a timeout. The two teams continued to go back-and-forth with the Mastodons breaking the tie on an Eric Mulder layup with 15.1 seconds remaining off a feed from Rasheed Bello. The basket stood as the game winner thanks to a defensive stand by the ‘Dons on the other end following a Falcon timeout.

The game was named the Jim Phelan Classic in honor of the former coach. Anthony Roberts scored 17 points with two steals. He is now three points of 2,000 career. Bello had 11 points with five rebounds and five assists. Corey Hadnot II pitched in 10 points.

Both Roberts and Bello are tied for sixth in the program’s Division I era for single-season steals with 61 for the ‘Dons. Mulder is 12th in 2-point field goal percentage (70.5 percent) in the nation.

Only twice this season have the ‘Dons committed more turnovers than their opponent. It was against Oakland both times. Only twice this season have the ‘Dons had equal turnovers to their opponent (13 at Pittsburgh and 20 at Northern Kentucky). The ‘Dons have single-digit turnovers in 15 games this season. Six times they have had six or fewer in a game. The ‘Dons have six games this season in which they never trailed.

This is the Mastodons’ seventh postseason appearance. The ‘Dons are 3-6 all-time in postseason games. The winner of this game will face Norfolk State in the CIT title game with a date/location TBA.

Bet Purdue Fort Wayne to Win
CIT Betting Odds, Basketball USA

CIT Semifinals Picks Odds Subject to Change	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
Tarleton State	-3.5	-200	O 72.5
Purdue Fort Wayne	+3.5	+150	U 72.5

Why Bet on Tarleton State Texans?

Tarleton State is enjoying its best season in the D1 era with a 25-9 overall record and a program best 16-4 mark in conference play.

KiAndre Gaddy was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He led the WAC in overall and conference games in offensive boards per game and was second in blocks. Emmanuel Innocenti earned a nod to each the All-Freshman and All-Defensive Teams. In conference games, he led the WAC in defensive rebounds per game, was second in steals and minutes per game.

The Texans reached the WAC Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. Acting head coach Joseph Jones was named the WAC Coach of the Year after filling in for head coach Billy Gillispie after the fourth game this season.

The Texans have played two games in this tournament, both at home. They beat Texas Southern by 11 on March 19 and then took out Abilene Christian 86-59 on March 20. That game was called the Lou Henson Classic and Gaddy was named the game’s MVP after he posted 16 points, four boards, two steals and an assist against the Wildcats. For the third straight game, Traivar Jackson scored in double-figures, this time setting a new career high with 14. Emmanuel Innocenti and Devon Barnes each added 10 to round out the four Texans with double-digit scoring totals.

The win vs. Abilene Christian marked Tarleton’s 34th as a Division I program when shooting over 50 percent, shooting at a 52.3 percent clip. The Purple and White shot nine-for-24 from behind the arc, 37.5 percent. The Texans won the battle of the boards, 36-31 and the turnover battle, 10-7.

Gaddy was a dominant force on the offensive glass as well, pulling down 119 offensive rebounds this season, the sixth most in Tarleton State program history. He led the WAC in overall and conference games in offensive boards per game. The NAIA transfer is tenth in the nation averaging 3.84 per game. On the defensive end, he pulled down 63 in conference games and 98 in all games.

The CIT is one of four major postseason tournaments for NCAA Division I programs. Due to the Texans still being in their reclassification process, Tarleton is not eligible by current NCAA rules to compete in NCAA-sanctioned postseasons, the NCAA Tournament and the NIT. The CIT was a longstanding tournament before COVID-19, running tournaments from 2009 to 2019. The 2024 field is a revival of the 10-year event.

In the year following participating in the CIT, teams have demonstrated much success after the postseason exposure. Countless teams have had record-breaking seasons the following year, a history of success the Texans hope to replicate. In the following year of the past 10 tournaments, 21 teams earned a berth to the NIT, 24 programs won their conference tournament with 25 teams earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Six teams have won a game in the NCAA Tournament after participating in the CIT.

Bet Tarleton State to Win
CIT Betting Odds, Basketball USA