A spot in the quarterfinal of the 2021 NIT will be on the line when the Richmond Spiders and Toledo Rockets collide on Wednesday night in a first-round game at UNT Coliseum in Denton, Texas. The Spiders (13-8) enter the NIT having dropped three straight games, the most recent loss coming to Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Meanwhile the Rockets (21-8) have won five of their last seven but fell to Ohio in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game tips off the 16-team NIT, which will take place entirely in the Dallas suburbs of Frisco and Denton. The winner of the game will advance to the quarterfinals to face the winner of Saturday's matchup between Saint Louis and Mississippi State. Before making any NIT picks or predictions on those games or others, you need to see what red-hot SportsLine expert Matt Severance has to say.
A well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005, Severance enters the NIT on a stunning run: He is on a blistering 109-74 run on his college basketball picks against the spread, returning $2,742 to $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Severance has locked in three confident best bets for the first round of the National Invitation Tournament 2021. If you parlay his picks, you could be looking at a 6-1 payout. You can see them only at SportsLine.
Top NIT first-round expert picks
Severance broke down each of the eight first-round games and is high on the Colorado State Rams (-1.5) covering against the Buffalo Bulls on Friday. The Rams (18-6) enter the NIT as arguably the top overall seed; no team in the NIT was ranked higher on the NCAA Tournament's list of replacement teams than Colorado State. Meanwhile the Bulls (16-8) ended the season hot, winning seven straight games before losing to Ohio in the MAC Tournament final.
But the Rams were the only team in the Mountain West to beat each of the other top four MWC teams, splitting with San Diego State, Utah State and Boise State. In addition, Colorado State thrives away from Fort Collins. The Rams went 8-5 this season in road or neutral-site games this season.
How to make NIT first-round parlays
Severance also jumped on two other sides, including an underdog who has a key advantage. You absolutely need to see his picks before entering any of your own. You can see his best bets only at SportsLine.
So which NIT picks should you make for a shot at a 6-1 return? And which underdog has a key advantage? Visit SportsLine now to see Matt Severance's first-round NIT picks, all from the handicapper on a 109-74 run, and find out.
