With the NCAA Tournament on hiatus till Thursday, we will focus on the NIT. Tonight, I will dissect the matchup between the Wichita State Shockers and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. This contest will be a home game for Tulsa. The Shockers come in off a shockingly easy 96-70 win over Oklahoma State on the road to move to 24-11 on the year. Tulsa comes in off a solid 77-66 home win over UNLV, and they are now at 28-7 on the year.<\/p>\n
This is the fourth time these teams have met this year, and Wichita State won two of the first three. The last one was in the American Conference Semifinals, which the Shockers won 81-68. During the regular season, each team won on its own home floor. How will Chapter 4 go? Read on to see my Wichita State vs Tulsa prediction.<\/p>\n
Odds: Tulsa -4; Over\/ Under 152.5<\/strong><\/p>\n Wichita State enters the NIT Quarterfinals<\/a> at 24\u201311 after a stunning road win over Oklahoma State, one of their most complete performances of the season. The Shockers have played well for weeks and continue to lean on Kenyon Giles<\/a>, who leads with 19.3 points per game. Karon Boyd<\/a> adds physical scoring, while Will Berg<\/a> anchors the interior with 8.1 rebounds per game. Wichita State averages 78.1 points, shoots 44.4%, and ranks among the nation\u2019s best in offensive rebounding at 14.7 per game. Their ability to generate second\u2011chance points has been a major factor in their recent success.<\/p>\n Defensively, Wichita State allows 70.4 points and holds opponents to 42.0% shooting, but the Shockers’ strengths are their control of the glass and their ability to limit clean looks. They also defend the arc well, allowing just 31.3% from deep. Their biggest challenge will be containing Tulsa\u2019s perimeter shooting and preventing early\u2011clock threes. Wichita State must also avoid foul trouble, as Tulsa attacks aggressively and gets to the line often. If the Shockers maintain defensive discipline, they can slow Tulsa\u2019s rhythm.<\/p>\n For Wichita State to advance, they need to control the tempo, win the rebounding battle, and avoid long scoring droughts. Giles must provide steady offense, Boyd must create mismatches, and Berg must protect the paint. Wichita State has already beaten Tulsa twice this season, including an 81-68 win in the American semifinals, so confidence will not be an issue. If the Shockers stay composed and limit turnovers, they have a strong chance to reach the NIT semifinals.<\/p>\n Tulsa<\/a> enters this matchup at 28-7 after a solid home win over UNLV, continuing a season defined by efficient offense and strong guard play. The Golden Hurricane average 85.4 points, shoot 47.3%, and rank among the nation\u2019s best from deep at 38.3%. David Green<\/a>, who averages 16.1 points, is questionable, but Tylen Riley<\/a> and Miles Barnstable<\/a> provide consistent scoring. Ade Popoola<\/a> adds athleticism and defensive versatility. Tulsa\u2019s balance and spacing make them extremely difficult to guard, especially at home.<\/p>\n Defensively, Tulsa allows 73.1 points and holds opponents to 42.7% shooting, but the team can be vulnerable on the glass. Their biggest challenge will be containing Wichita State\u2019s offensive rebounding and preventing second\u2011chance points. Tulsa must also defend without fouling, as Wichita State attacks the paint aggressively. If the Golden Hurricane force longer possessions and limit put\u2011backs, their offense can take control. Home\u2011court advantage should also help Tulsa maintain their pace and energy.<\/p>\n For Tulsa to win, they need efficient perimeter shooting, strong ball movement, and disciplined defensive rotations. Riley must control the tempo, Barnstable must provide steady scoring, and the frontcourt must rebound above its season averages. Tulsa split the regular\u2011season series with Wichita State, and both teams won on their home floor, making this matchup even more intriguing. If the Golden Hurricane maintain their offensive rhythm and protect the ball, they are well-positioned to advance in the NIT.<\/p>\n Tulsa enters this matchup with strong momentum and one of the best home\u2011court records in the country. That edge matters in a fourth meeting between familiar opponents. The Golden Hurricane are 15-2 at home, and they already beat Wichita State by 10 points on this floor earlier in the season. Wichita State is coming off a huge win, but sustaining that level on the road is far more difficult against a team that thrives in its own building. Tulsa has been consistent, efficient, and confident at home all year. With the environment favoring the hosts and their style translating well in this matchup, Tulsa -4 fits the expected flow.<\/p>\n The scoring outlook leans higher because both teams have consistently produced fast, offense\u2011driven games in these settings. Their meeting in Tulsa earlier this season reached 176 total points, and the pace rarely slowed. Tulsa average 89.4 points at home, and their home games have produced 161.9 points on average. Wichita State\u2019s road games have been just as high\u2011scoring at 159.7 points, showing how often their tempo increases away from home. With both teams comfortable pushing the pace and generating an early offense, Over 152.5 aligns with the matchup profile.<\/p>\n The most likely script features long scoring runs, quick possessions, and stretches where neither defense fully settles. Tulsa\u2019s comfort level at home should help them maintain rhythm, while Wichita State\u2019s road tendencies point toward another high\u2011tempo performance. Expect a game where momentum swings quickly and both offenses find clean looks throughout the night. Tulsa\u2019s home dominance and Wichita State\u2019s road scoring patterns combine to create a favorable setup for both styles of play. With those factors in place, Tulsa -4 and Over 152.5 match the most probable outcome of this NIT quarterfinal.<\/p>\n Final Predictions: Tulsa -4 & Over 152.5<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a9 Wesley Hale-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the NCAA Tournament on hiatus till Thursday, we will focus on the NIT. Tonight, I will dissect the matchup between the Wichita State Shockers and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. This contest will be a home game for Tulsa. The Shockers come in off a shockingly easy 96-70 win over Oklahoma State on the road […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5785,"featured_media":182779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,773,50440,3],"tags":[1456,2931,3459],"class_list":["post-182743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-college-basketball","category-ncaa-predictions","category-news","tag-nit","tag-tulsa-golden-hurricane","tag-wichita-state-shockers"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5785"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182743"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182781,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182743\/revisions\/182781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Wichita State Shockers<\/h3>\n
Tulsa Golden Hurricane<\/h3>\n
Predictions<\/h3>\n