| Team (Seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma (1) | +425 |
| Wake Forest (2) | +600 |
| Texas A&M (1) | +725 |
| SMU (1) | +1000 |
| Dayton (1) | +1200 |
| Xavier (2) | +1200 |
| BYU (2) | +1500 |
| North Texas (2) | +1800 |
| Florida (3) | +2000 |
| Toledo (8) | +2500 |
| Iona (6) | +2500 |
| Santa Clara (5) | +2500 |
| Utah State (4) | +2500 |
| Vanderbilt (4) | +3000 |
| Colorado (4) | +3000 |
| Mississippi State (3) | +3000 |
| VCU (3) | +3000 |
| Missouri State (8) | +4000 |
| Virginia (6) | +4000 |
| Saint Louis (3) | +4000 |
| Oregon (5) | +4000 |
| Belmont (5) | +5000 |
| St. Bonaventure (5) | +5000 |
| Washington State (4) | +5000 |
| Northern Iowa (6) | +5000 |
| Nicholls State (8) | +7500 |
| Princeton (6) | +7500 |
| Cleveland State (7) | +8000 |
| Texas State (7) | +8000 |
| Long Beach State (7) | +8000 |
| Alcorn State (8) | +8000 |
| Towson (7) | +8000 |
*Odds courtesy of WynnBet
The National Invitation Tournament is set to tip off on Tuesday. College basketball enthusiasts will be excited to get some action on the teams they've been watching all season long.
For others, the first round can be a great precursor for what to expect when March Madness begins.
The biggest difference between the NIT and the NCAA Tournament, besides skill level, is motivation. Most of the top teams tend to be disappointed they didn't make the Big Dance and end up not taking their NIT opponents quite as seriously.
Oklahoma is the favorite to win the NIT at +425 as the biggest NCAA Tournament snub, according to the analytics. Oklahoma is ranked 30th on KenPom, seven spots higher than the next closest snub.
Wake Forest and Texas A&M are the other two squads with odds higher than 10-1. Texas A&M was considered the biggest snub by resume after making a run to the SEC Tournament championship.
1. Oklahoma +425
Oklahoma is the highest-ranked team in the NIT by analytical measurements. The Sooners recently knocked off NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Baylor in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. They have a tough draw in the NIT with a possible second-round matchup against Colorado or St. Bonaventure.
2. Wake Forest +600
Wake Forest looked like a surefire tournament team before stumbling down the stretch. That includes an 82-77 loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament that virtually knocked the Demon Deacons out of the NCAA Tournament. They surprisingly received a No. 2 seed in the NIT and have Texas A&M in their region.
3. Texas A&M +725
This was the biggest NCAA Tournament snub based on recent form. The Aggies made a run all the way to the SEC Tournament championship and had a pretty good resume to boot. They got a difficult draw with Wake Forest as the No. 2 seed in their region.
4. SMU +1000
SMU spent most of the season on the bubble but never made enough noise to have a legitimate gripe for not making the tournament. The Mustangs got a No. 1 seed and have a pretty favorable region.
5. Dayton +1200
Dayton was a bubble team and couldn't win enough games in its conference tournament to get in. The Flyers have a pretty good resume and had a marquee win against Kansas. Look out for this team as Anthony Grant will win most coaching matchups in this tournament.
6. Xavier +1200
Xavier spent a good portion of its season inside the top 25 in the AP Poll. The Musketeers were really good to start the season but stumbled down the stretch — a fall that included a Big East Tournament loss to Baylor. They're not playing their best basketball at the moment.
7. BYU +1500
BYU is another team that spent much of the season on the bubble. But they couldn't even make it to the semifinals of the WCC. This is a team that can certainly get hot and Mark Pope is one of the best coaches in the tournament.
8. North Texas +1800
Many expected North Texas to be the team to come out of the C-USA. But Louisiana Tech spoiled those plans in the C-USA semifinal. Nobody wants to go up against this suffocating defense.
9. Florida +2000
Florida will have to make a run without head coach Mike White as he has departed for Georgia. Florida played a lot of the tough teams in the SEC very close.
10. Toledo +2500
Toledo is a No. 8 seed in the tournament and will have a very difficult first-round matchup against Dayton. But this is a team that, had it made the Big Dance, could have made some noise with its prolific offense.
11. Iona +2500
Many were hoping to see Rick Pitino back in the tournament again and the Gaels were the favorite to come out of the MAAC, but Rider spoiled those plans. Iona has a difficult matchup with Florida in the first round.
12. Santa Clara +2500
The WCC got three teams into the tournament and has two teams that can win the NIT. That's just how good that conference was this season. Santa Clara made a run to the WCC semifinal and gave Saint Mary's quite the game.
13. Utah State +2500
Utah State might have the best player in the entire tournament with Justin Bean. He averaged 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds this season.
