Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
NIT – Semifinals
Tip-off: Tuesday, 9:25 p.m. ET
Line: Stanford -2.5

Stanford and Old Dominion meet Tuesday for a chance to play in the NIT championship game.

Stanford faced Vanderbilt last game and won 78-75 as a 4.5-point favorite. The Cardinal have covered in two of their three NIT tournament games and are averaging 76.3 PPG in those contests. The team is very good offensively and will just need to play good enough defense to disrupt an Old Dominion team that struggles to score. The Monarchs, meanwhile, defeated Murray State 72-69 as 1.5-point favorites last round. The team covered for the first time this tournament and also scored the most points it has in a game since facing Western Kentucky on Mar. 7. Old Dominion must find a way to score against Stanford or it could be a long game for the team. These schools have met just once since 1997 and Stanford won-and-covered in that contest. The Cardinal are 13-4 ATS off a close home win by three points or less since 1997. The Monarchs, however, are 18-7 ATS after a non-conference game over the past two seasons. C Grant Verhoeven (Hip) and G Malcolm Allen (Wrist) are out indefinitely for the Cardinal and the Monarchs are not currently dealing with any significant injuries.

Stanford has been a solid offensive team this season, scoring 72.3 PPG (56th in NCAA) on 43.4% shooting (188th in NCAA). Defense has been an issue for the Cardinal though, allowing a lousy 67.6 PPG (202nd in NCAA). The team will need to get some stops against Old Dominion Tuesday. G Chasson Randle (19.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG) is this team’s most dangerous player. Randle had 16 points against Vanderbilt last round, but he went off for 35 the game before against Rhode Island. He is a very good outside shooter (36% 3PT) and also knows how to get to the basket. He’ll need to be at his best in this game in order to reach the finals. G Anthony Brown (15.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.7 APG) played extremely well against Vanderbilt last round, finishing with 26 points, eight boards and four assists in 40 minutes of action. He had 16 points in the round before against Rhode Island and is playing very well off of Randle. Brown is a lights-out shooter from deep (43% 3PT) and will make the Monarchs pick their poison between him and Randle offensively. C Stefan Nastic (13.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG) is a very sturdy player for this Stanford team. He is a smart player in the paint and can pass out of the post as well. He’ll need to be a presence against Old Dominion on Tuesday.

The Monarchs are an excellent defensive team, allowing just 56.8 PPG (8th in NCAA). They aren’t great offensively though, scoring just 65.4 PPG (224th in NCAA) on 43.6% shooting (168th in NCAA). G Trey Freeman (17.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG) bounced back from a scoreless performance against Illinois State and poured in 25 points in 36 minutes against Murray State last round. Freeman is a good outside shooter (36% 3PT) and really knows how to finish inside the paint. He’s a solid passer and will be somebody that Stanford has to pay a lot of attention to on Tuesday. G Aaron Bacote (10.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.8 APG) is another important member of this backcourt, but he has now gone six games since scoring in double-digits. He’ll need to find his game in this one because the Cardinal will try to turn this into a high-scoring affair. F Richard Ross (8.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG) is going to be counted on to defend at a high level in this game. He is the team’s best shot-blocker and must do what he can to defend the rim against the Cardinal. C Jonathan Arledge (8.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG) will also need to do some dirty work in this game. He is the only player on this team with any sort of size inside and he must hold his own against Stefan Nastic or the Monarchs won’t have much of a chance to advance.