George Washington and Valparaiso square off for the NIT Championship on Thursday and the game has the potential to come down to the final possession as both have been playing at a high level. There is much better value in the total here with a lot of based on the number itself and also with the situation. Both semifinal games stayed under the total as both teams were playing at MSG for the first time and playing in a new arena can have effects on the offensive side but now both with a game under their belt here, the sightlines should be significantly better. Both teams shot an identical 42.6 percent from the floor on Tuesday and I expect both to be much better tonight. George Washington and San Diego St. had a closing total of 132.5 which stayed well below the total and while this number is slightly higher, it should be much higher. The total on Tuesday was based on the San Diego St. defense, one of the best in the country and while the Crusaders possess a good defense, it does not compare to that of the Aztecs. Valparaiso stayed under by seven points and this total is 16 points lower than its total against BYU and that is a huge and overaggressive swing. This is the lowest total the Crusaders have seen in 10 games and they have gone 6-3 to the over in nine games since. Going back, the over is 4-1 in the Colonials last five games following a straight up win while the over is 4-1 in the Crusaders last five games following an ATS loss. 10* Over (713) George Washington Colonials/(714) Valparaiso Crusaders

We are going contrarian with this total as we are getting exceptional value based on recent results from both sides. Oklahoma St. has gone under the total in 14 of 23 games this season including its last six games. The Cowboys do not push the ball as they are ranked near the bottom of Division I in possessions per game but the opposition has played a role in that as they have faced teams ranked 179th, 142nd, 227th and 271st of late while Kansas comes in ranked 113th in pace. The Jayhawks have gone under the total in 15 of 23 games this season including its last four games. They are coming off a game against fast paced Oklahoma and that game likely would have gone over if the Sooners did not shoot so horribly in the first half. Going back further, Kansas has gone under in nine of its last 10 conference games and the only one that went over was the first meeting at Oklahoma St. With Kansas getting blown out there, it will be up to return the favor so pushing the ball here is very likely and the Jayhawks score a ton here anyway, averaging 87.3 ppg at home including 85.6 ppg in conference games. The over is 11-5 in the Cowboys last 16 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600 while the over is 9-3 in the Jayhawks last 12 Monday games. 10* Over (707) Oklahoma St. Cowboys/(708) Kansas Jayhawks