Davidson vs. Oklahoma State Prediction, Odds, Key Player to Watch for NIT 1st Round

The NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday night with a pair of First Four matchups, but the NIT also gets underway with eight first-round battles.

One of those games in a clash between the A-10’s Davidson Wildcats and the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys. Oddsmakers have set the Cowboys (19-14 this season) as 6.5-point favorites after they were bounced by TCU early in the Big 12 Tournament.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats lost to another NIT team – Saint Joseph’s – in the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament.

Davidson was sixth in the A-10 in the regular season, and it has one of the lower-scoring offenses in the country, ranking 322nd in points per game. Can the Wildcats pull off an upset to advance to the second round?

Let’s take a look at the betting odds, a player to watch and my prediction for this NIT showdown.

Davidson vs. Oklahoma State Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Davidson +6.5 (-108)
Oklahoma State -6.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Davidson: +260
Oklahoma State: -325

Total

153.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Davidson vs. Oklahoma State How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 17
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Gallagher-Iba Arena
How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
Davidson record: 20-13
Oklahoma State record: 19-14

Davidson vs. Oklahoma State Key Player to Watch

Anthony Roy, Guard, Oklahoma State

Senior guard Anthony Roy is averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for the Cowboys this season, shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Roy had two big games in the Big 12 Tournament, scoring 24 against Colorado (in a win) and 25 in a loss to TCU. He’s scored 24 or more points in three of his last four games.

Davidson vs. Oklahoma State Prediction and Pick

These teams have two totally different profiles when it comes to their tempo, as the Wildcats are 343rd in the country in KenPom’s adjusted tempo while the Cowboys are ninth.

Both teams rank outside the top-100 in effective field goal percentage on offense, but the Oklahoma State defense is extremely shaky, ranking 258th in opponent eFG% and 138th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency.

A lot of this game is going to come down to who controls the pace, as the Wildcats would much rather play slower since they don’t have the offensive firepower than Oklahoma State does (45th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency).

However, I’m questioning whether or not the Cowboys get up for this game after missing the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma State went in the tank down the stretch of the regular season, losing seven of its last nine games to seal its fate as a non-tournament team.

I think the Wildcats can hang around in this game, as they have one of the highest 3-point rates in the country (88th), and the Cowboys are just 275th in opponent 3-point percentage.

Pick: Davidson +6.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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