Opening Line: Hoosiers Slight Favorite in NCAA Game With Miami

Indiana is a very slight favorite over Miami on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That may not be a good thing, because the Hurricanes are 4-3 straight up as underdogs, and are 6-1 vs. the point spread. Here's the opening line, and a great breakdown vs. the number for both teams.
Opening Line: Hoosiers Slight Favorite in NCAA Game With Miami
Opening Line: Hoosiers Slight Favorite in NCAA Game With Miami

ALBANY, N.Y. — By nature, the 4-5 matchups in the NCAA Tournament are meant to be pretty even, and that's certainly the case with No. 4-seed Indiana and No. 5 Miami on Sunday night.

Indiana is a slim 1.5-point favorite over the Hurricanes in the final game of the doubleheader at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. The over-under is 145.5. The game starts at 8:40 p.m. ET. For all of your TV information, CLICK HERE

Both teams won and covered in their first-round matchups, with Indiana taking down Kent State and Miami closing out the game on a 10-0 run to beat Drake. With the mid-majors dispatched of, now it's time for another Big Ten-ACC showdown.

Miami played two Big Ten teams during the season, losing to Maryland by 18 on a neutral site and beating Rutgers at home to help the ACC win the final Big. Ten-ACC Challenge.

Indiana only played one ACC team this year, beating previous No. 1 North Carolina in Bloomington

Miami has been an underdog seven times this season, and is 4-3 straight up and an impressive 6-1 vs. the spread.

Here is a thorough breakdown on what Indiana has done all season, both straight up and against the spread:

Indiana by the numbers

  • Indiana overall record: 23-11
  • Indiana overall vs. spread: 17-17
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  • Indiana home record: 15-2
  • Indiana home vs. spread: 10-7
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  • Indiana road record: 5-7
  • Indiana road vs spread: 4-8
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  • Indiana neutral court record: 3-2
  • Indiana neutral court vs. spread: 3-2
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  • Indiana record as favorite: 20-5
  • Indiana vs. spread as favorite: 14-11
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  • Indiana record as underdog: 3-6
  • Indiana vs. spread as underdog: 3-6

Indiana vs. the spread

Here's what Indiana has done this season, straight up and against the spread:

  • Nov. 7 — Beat Morehead State 79-57 as a 1.5-point underdog (won)
  • Nov. 10 — Beat Bethune-Cookman 101-49 as a 32.5-point favorite (won)
  • Nov. 18 — Won at Xavier 81-79 as a 1.5-point favorite (won)
  • Nov. 20 — Beat Miami of Ohio 86-56 as a 27.5-point favorite in Indianapolis (won)
  • Nov. 23 — Beat Little Rock 86-67 as a 29..5-point favorite (lost)
  • Nov. 25 — Beat Jackson State 90-51 as a 28.5-point favorite (won)
  • Nov. 30 — Beat No. 18 North Carolina 77-65 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
  • Dec. 3 — Lost at Rutgers 63-48 as a 3-point favorite (lost)
  • Dec. 7 — Beat Nebraska 81-55 as a 12.5-point favorite (won)
  • Dec. 10 — Lost to No. 10 Arizona 89-75 in Las Vegas as a 1.5-point underdog (lost)
  • Dec. 17 — Lost at No. 8 Kansas 84-62 as a 5.5-point underdog (lost)
  • Dec. 20 — Beat Elon 96-72 as a 28.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Dec. 23 — Beat Kennesaw State 69-55 as a 17.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Jan. 5 — Lost at Iowa 91-89 as a 1.5-point underdog (lost)
  • Jan. 8 — Lost to Northwestern 84-83 as a 7.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Jan. 11 — Lost at Penn State 85-66 as a 2.5-point underdog (lost)
  • Jan. 14 — Beat No. 18 Wisconsin 63-45 as a 4-point favorite (won)
  • Jan. 19 — Won at Illinois 80-65 as a 6.5-point underdog (won)
  • Jan. 22 — Beat Michigan State 82-63 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
  • Jan. 25 — Won at Minnesota 61-57 as an 11.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Jan. 28 — Beat Ohio State 86-70 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
  • Jan. 31 — Lost at Maryland 66-55 as a 2.5-point underdog (lost)
  • Feb. 4 — Beat No. 1 Purdue 79-74 as a 1-point favorite (won)
  • Feb. 7 — Beat No. 24 Rutgers 66-60 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
  • Feb. 11 — Won at Michigan 62-61 as a 2.5-point underdog (won)
  • Feb. 15 — Lost at Northwestern 64-62 as a 1.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Feb. 18 — Beat Illinois 71-68 as a 6.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Feb. 21 — Lost at Michigan State 80-65 as a 3.5-point underdog (lost)
  • Feb. 25 — Won at No. 5 Purdue 79-71 as a 6.5-point underdog (won)
  • Feb. 28 — Lost to Iowa 90-68 as a 6.5-point favorite (Iost)
  • March 5 — Beat Michigan 75-73 in overtime as a 4.5-point favorite (lost)
  • March 10 — Beat Maryland 70-60 in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Chicago as a 2.5-point favorite (won)
  • March 11 — Lost to Penn State 77-73 in Big Ten Tournament semifinals in Chicago as a 3.5-point favorite (lost)
  • March 17 — Beat Kent State 71-60 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Albany, N.Y. as a 4.5-point favorite. (won)

Miami vs. the spread

Miami — who is 26-7 on the season, and finished 15-5 in the ACC regular season — lost to Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament They lost starting forward Norchad Omier to an ankle injury in the first minute of the game.

They are 18-15 against the spread this season. As an underdog, though — like they are on Sunday vs. Indiana — they've been impressive. They are 4-3 straight up and an amazing 6-1 against the spread. They only non-cover was that ACC tourney game that they basically played without Omier.

Here's what Miami has done this season, straight up and against the number:

  • Nov. 7 — Beat Lafayette 67-54 as a 26.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Nov. 11—Beat UNC-Greensboro 79-65 as a 10.5-point favorite (won)
  • Nov. 15— Beat Florida A&M 87-61 as a 32.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Nov. 19 — Beat Providence 74-64 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff at Uncasville, Conn., as a 3.5-point favorite (won)
  • Nov. 20 — Lost to Maryland 88-79 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff at Uncasville, Conn., as a 1.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Nov. 23 —  Beat St. Francis (Brooklyn) 79-56 as a 24.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Nov. 27 — Won at Central Florida 66-64 as a 2.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Nov. 30 — Beat Rutgers 68-61 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge as 3.5-point favorite (won)
  • Dec. 4 —Won at Louisville 80-53 as an 12.5-point favorite (won)
  • Dec. 7 —  Beat Cornell 107-105 as a 14.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Dec. 10 – Beat N.C. State 80-73 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
  • Dec. 17— Beat St. Francis (Pa.) 91-76 as an 24.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Dec. 20 —  Beat No. 6 Virginia 66-64 as a 3.5-point underdog (won)
  • Dec. 28 — Vs. Vermont (cancelled)
  • Dec. 30 — Won at Notre Dame 76-65 as an 2.5-point favorite (won)
  • Jan. 4 – Lost at Georgia Tech 76-70 as an 5.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Jan. 11 — Beat Boston College 88-72 as an 10.5-point favorite (won)
  • Jan. 14 — Lost at N.C. State 83-81 in overtime as a 3.5-point underdog (won)
  • Jan. 16 — Beat Syracuse 82-78 as a 7.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Jan. 21 — Lost at Duke 68-66 as a 5.5-point underdog (won)
  • Jan. 24 — Won at Florida State 86-63 as an 3.5-point favorite (won)
  • Jan. 28 — Lost at Pittsburgh 71-68 as a 1.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Jan. 31 — Beat Virginia Tech 92-83 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
  • Feb. 4 — Won at No. 20 Clemson 78-74 as an 1.5-point underdog (won)
  • Feb. 6 — Beat Duke 81-59 as a 3.5-point favorite (won)
  • Feb. 11 — Beat Louisville 93-85 as a 21.5-point favorite (lost)
  • Feb. 13 — Won at North Carolina 80-72 as a 6.5-point underdog (won)
  • Feb. 18 — Beat Wake Forest 96-87 as an 6.5-point favorite (won)
  • Feb. 21 — Won at Virginia Tech 76-70 as an 3.5-point underdog (won)
  • Feb. 25 — Lost to Florida State 85-84 as a 14.5-point favorite (lost)
  • March 4 — No. 25 Pittsburgh 78-76 as an 7.5-point favorite (lost)
  • March 9 — Beat Wake Forest 74-72 in quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast  Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. as a 7.5-point favorite (lost)
  • March 10 — Lost to Duke 85-78 in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. as a 3.5-point underdog (lost)
  • March 17 — Beat Drake 63-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Albany, N.Y. as a 2.5-point favorite. (won)

Published
Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.