2010 NIT Tournament Pick: Texas vs. Seton Hall: March 16th 2010

Handicappers PicksMar 16, 2010

Texas Tech vs. Seton Hall
Free Pick: Texas Tech +9 (2010 NIT Tournament – Matt Fargo)
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In a normal situation, Seton Hall would be worth a look here but this situation is far from normal. The Pirates do not have much interest in playing in the NIT as they were holding out hope to make the NCAA Tournament with their 9-9 regular season conference record and 1-1 record in the Big East Tournament but it was pretty much a guarantee that they had no chance in an at-large bid. Seton Hall was respectable in the conference but it was far from dominant as it defeated only two teams by double-digits and those were against Providence and Rutgers, both of which finished the season under .500. As a favorite of more than five points, the Pirates are 1-6 ATS on the season. Texas Tech started the season very well as it got off to a 9-0 start and was ranked at one point. A 15-point loss at New Mexico turned the season around as the Red Raiders won only seven more games the rest of the way but the fact that it is playing in the NIT is a pretty big reward for a team that went 4-12 in the Big XII during the regular season. I do not think the Red Raiders should be playing in the postseason to be honest but here they are and that makes a bigger difference as motivation now comes into play. An extended season is a huge bonus for a team that even it thought would not happen. The Pirates also have some added turmoil they don’t need as forward Robert Mitchell was dismissed from the team for remarks he made against head coach Bobby Gonzalez. He told a reporter that “it’s hard to stay consistent as a player, when the coach isn’t consistent.” While this may be an isolated opinion, there is the possibility that it is felt by others and Mitchell was the only one who spoke out. This is something you don’t want to hear at any point in the season and even more so during a one-and-done scenario. 3* Texas Tech Red Raiders