Multiple times each week, The Gaming Juice’s resident action seeker, Brad Evans, will attempt to blast the ‘books with his favorite selections on sides, totals, props, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — but that’s up to you.
Sledgehammer Special — Indiana State -2.5 vs. Utah (-110, FanDuel)
Just up the road from Indiana State’s campus in Terre Haute and only a handful of miles across the state border into Illinois is a once-bustling industry town called Danville. Unknown to many, the manufacturing-based community was, for a time, home to one of the greatest American thespians ever to appear on the silver screen — Gene Hackman.
Rarely seen in public nowadays, the reclusive 94-year-old painter/writer dwells in Santa Fe having retired from acting decades ago. However, his Hollywood legend lives on in iconic films like the “French Connection,” “Unforgiven” and, of course, “Hoosiers.”
The unforgettable hoops story — archived in the Library of Congress for its “culture, historical and aesthetic significance” — dramatized the 1950s state title run of a small-town Indiana high school. Indisputably, it’s a cinema classic.
Most notably, it was filmed inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the NIT will soon crown a champion. So many chills.
Get buckets, Jimmy Chitwood. Get buckets.
Indiana State, the Missouri Valley regular-season champion, is ideally intertwined with coach Norman Dale’s state title squad. With Larry Bird U located only 70 miles away, baby blue is sure to blanket the stands in Tuesday’s NIT semifinal against Utah.
The Sycamores have continuously shown why they’re one of the most explosive offensive squads in the country. Their spacing, precise passes, consistent arc splashes and near-proximity execution are practically off the charts.
This month alone, Josh Schertz’s squad ranks No. 3 nationally in effective field-goal percentage offense, shooting an insane 62.4% from two and 39.2% from three. The goggled one, Robbie Avila, has understandably earned the headlines, but Jayson Kent, Ryan Conwell, Isaiah Swope and Julian Larry are deserving of NIL raises. Most impressively, all five have shot at least 36% from distance on the season.
Even given the likely partisan crowd and Indiana State’s offensive reputation, the last Pac-12 postseason team standing won’t be intimidated. A top-30 BartTorvik team in March, the Utes slot a very balanced No. 31 in effective field-goal percentage offense and effective field-goal percentage defense. Long, athletic and fairly deep, they usually command the glass and steadily fill the cup in Craig Smith’s uptempo scheme.
In what should be a hotly contested game, the difference could be turnovers, an area of concern for Utah. Over their last eight games, the Utes are No. 180 in turnover percentage offense, giving up the rock on 16.0% of their possessions.
Indiana State is a very average defensive team, but if mistakes mount, it’s bound to take advantage. Give an inch to the Sycamores, and they typically take a mile.
“Fifteen feet.” If everything clicks, that’s the sizable distance Avila and company keep Utah from reaching Thursday’s NIT championship game.
Coach Dale would agree.
Season record: 31-31, +5.50 units
BONUS TIME — Georgia/Seton Hall OVER 144.5 (-110, FD)