NIT Championship Game Odds: George Washington vs. Valparaiso Betting Preview

An improbable run for the fourth-seeded George Washington Colonials (27-10) could end with a championship Thursday when they take on the top-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders (30-6) in the championship game of the 2016 NIT.

The Crusaders are set as two-point betting favorites for Thursday night at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The Colonials upset the second-seeded San Diego State Aztecs 65-46 as consensus three-point underdogs at the sportsbooks in the second semifinal on Tuesday, while the Crusaders held on to beat the second-seeded BYU Cougars 72-70 in the first.

George Washington finished fifth in the Atlantic 10 during the regular season and has won straight up as an underdog in two of four games so far in the NIT.

The Colonials knocked out the top-seeded Monmouth Hawks 87-71 as two-point dogs and the second-seeded Florida Gators 82-77 as 1.5-point favorites in their previous two games to earn the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time in 15 years.

Tyler Cavanaugh had 20 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State to help GW tie the school record for most wins in a season.

Valparaiso was one of the biggest snubs after the 68-team field in the NCAA tournament was announced, and the school has used that as motivation ever since. The Crusaders got the No. 1 seed in the Valparaiso/Saint Mary’s Quadrant and have rolled to four fairly easy wins in the NIT.

They won their first three games by double digits and led BYU 44-30 at halftime before the Cougars mounted a furious comeback in the last 20 minutes. David Skara hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining and finished with a season-high 15 points off the bench for Valpo, which had led by as many as 16 points.

The Cougars actually led 68-67 with one minute, 18 seconds left before ultimately losing.

The under has cashed in two straight games for the Crusaders following a 3-0 run for the over, according to the Odds Shark College Basketball Database. Meanwhile, the Colonials saw a six-game over streak end in the semifinals.

GW averaged 75.9 points during the regular season compared to 75.7 per game for Valpo. The Crusaders are the better defensive team, giving up 62.2 points per game, while the Colonials have allowed an average of 69.3.