Wichita State Shockers @ Alabama Crimson Tide 2011 NIT Finals Pick

Wichita State Shockers @ Alabama Crimson Tide 2011 NIT Finals Pick: Wichita State has busted through some solid teams on the way to the NIT Championship, ousting Nebraska, then Virginia Tech (two teams that many thought should have made the Big Dance over VCU…) College of Charleston, and a dominant performance over Washington State on Tuesday Night.

Alabama used great defense (ranked 7th in the country in points allowed and 4th in field goal % defense) to follow up on the promise of their 1-seed to beat a handful of teams including Miami and then Colorado (by 1) to get to the final.

I said that I’d probably go with ‘Bama’s defense, but more research has me going the other way.

There’s a couple tough things for me looking into this game. I like Alabama’s defensive prowess, they can really use their length and hustle to keep points off the board, and that’s something Wichita isn’t great at anyway, scoring the basketball I mean. And both teams rebound the ball pretty well, but I think my key is that Wichita rebounds the ball great. They’ve out-boarded their opponents in 9 of their last 10 games, and every game of the NIT tournament. They’ve gone through big time teams with ease, and in overtime. They’ve won close games, they’ve dominated some games. Alabama is 7-3 in their last 10 games, but all 3 losses have come when they’ve been out-rebounded. If Wichita State prevails, it’s because they win the rebound battle – and that’s something they usually do win. I’ll take the small underdog.

(4) Wichita State Shockers (+1.5) @ (1) Alabama Crimson Tide (ESPN 2)