UAB, North Texas Meet in NIT Championship for Fourth Matchup

• UAB currently sits as a 2.5-point favorite against North Texas with -150 money line odds.
• The two teams have met on three other occasions this season, with North Texas winning two and losing one, but UAB star guard Jordan Walker was not present in the loss.
• Jordan Walker and Tylor Perry headline each team’s top player props.

PARADISE, Nev. – The NIT Championship is slated to kickoff Thursday, with the C-USA rivals UAB Blazers and North Texas Mean Green. These two will be facing off for the fourth time all year, with North Texas currently leading the series 2-1.

The Blazers have been on fire to end the year, winning nine out of their last 10 games and sweeping through the tournament with an average winning margin of 14 points. The Mean Green have had similar success at the hands of top guard Taylor Perry, who has consistently produced for North Texas and is one of the top player props available on legal betting sites.

UAB Blazers vs North Texas Mean Green Odds

• Money Line: UAB Blazers (-150) vs North Texas Mean Green (+130)
• Spread: UAB Blazers -2.5
• Total: 128.5

Multiple Matchups Help Narrow Down Top Props

Right off the bat, many of the money line, spread, and total bets do not seem particularly consistent. In their first matchup, UAB star Jordan Walker was not present, making the game slightly questionable in terms of data.

This is especially true because Jordan Walker almost singlehandedly brought them to a win with 32 points in their third matchup. In the second matchup, a double OT thriller resulted in a three-point win for North Texas.

The total for each game was quite rocky too, with the totals being 115, 161 (2OT), and 145. Throughout the postseason, UAB has had three out of four games go over 129 total points, while North Texas has only done so in one game. This overall makes the total difficult to predict, with possibly a slight lean on the over due to their last two meetings.

Perry and Walker Likely Top Player Props

In a game with as high of stakes as the NIT Championship, each team’s top player will go out and try to lead their team to victory as they have done many times before. The top category will likely be Jordan Walker to score 20+ points or Tylor Perry to score 20+ points.

Between these two, Tylor Perry appears to be the better value as his +150 odds appear very profitable, especially because he has scored 20+ in three out of four NIT Tournament games. His past performances vs UAB have been concerning though, with 10 and 17 points in their two regulation games and 28 in the double overtime.

Yet, if the Mean Green are going to win this game, Perry will have to be one of the main contributors as he has been for this entire postseason run. While it will require an above average game, the +150 odds stand out as a great value.

Jordan Walker is much the opposite, as he averages 22 points per game and has been given -105 odds to score at least 20, but has performed rather poorly for their NIT Tournament run by scoring 20+ just once.

A point of confidence can be found in his past performances versus North Texas though, as he scored a whopping 32 points in the only regulation game he played in while also putting up 20 in the double overtime game.

With just needing an average game as well as a strong track record against this team, Walker should be able to turn around his postseason woes and come out swinging in the title game. With how dominant he has been the majority of the season, the -105 odds found on online sportsbooks is a better value than it seems.