Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. TCU Horned Frogs NIT Championship Odds, Pick

The TCU Horned Frogs (23-15) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (21-15) will both try to complete a championship run in the NIT men's basketball final on Thursday at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Horned Frogs have gone 3-1 against the spread in winning their four NIT games, and they are listed as small betting favorites over the Yellow Jackets (4-0 ATS).

Point spread: The Horned Frogs opened as 3.5-point favorites; the total is at 133, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College basketball betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 73.1-67.9 Yellow Jackets (college basketball picks on every game)

Why the Horned Frogs can cover the spread

TCU upset the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes 94-92 in the second round as a 2.5-point underdog and has been favored in its other four NIT games, including this one. The Horned Frogs are coming off a 68-53 rout of the Central Florida Knights as 2.5-point chalk in the semifinals on Tuesday behind Kenrich Williams, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.

TCU trailed UCF 31-29 at halftime but got a huge boost from Williams after the break, as he also finished with 14 rebounds and seven assists. Head coach Jamie Dixon improved to 27-15 all-time at MSG following his previous successful stint with the Pitt Panthers.

Why the Yellow Jackets can cover the spread

Unlike its opponent, Georgia Tech led CSU Bakersfield comfortably 36-26 at halftime en route to a 76-61 victory in the NIT semifinals, easily covering as a three-point favorite. The Yellow Jackets are now 5-0 against the spread in their last five games and 10-2 ATS in their past 12.

The Yellow Jackets figure to have a big advantage inside with 6'10" junior center Ben Lammers averaging 15 points and nine rebounds in the tournament and come from a conference looking to prove itself after a relatively poor showing in the Big Dance.

Smart betting pick

Georgia Tech looks to be a live underdog in this game, considering how well head coach Josh Pastner's team has played lately both straight up and ATS at online gambling sites. The Yellow Jackets have won their previous two games in this tourney as underdogs by an average of 10 points and will get the job done once again to bring home the NIT championship here.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.