It’s Championship Thursday in the NIT as the Chattanooga Mocs and UC Irvine Anteaters go head to head to claim some postseason hardware. Since missing out on the Big Dance, both of these teams have turned things on, winning four straight games to get to this matchup.
The Mocs actually won 11 straight to end their regular season before falling in the SoCon Semifinals to Furman in overtime. Chattanooga is actually 20-4 since the start of the new year and narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament. UC Irvine did a great job of turning heads all year long, but fell short to UC San Diego in the Big West Conference Championship, thus missing out on the Big Dance.
Who will finish off their impressive postseason run and crown themselves NIT Champion?
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Chattanooga Mocs vs UC Irvine: NIT Championship
Honor Huff leads the Mocs in scoring this season
Matchup Information – Chattanooga vs UC Irvine
- Venue & Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)
- Date: Thursday, April 3rd, 2025
- Tip Off: 9:00pm Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Betting Odds
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Spread
- Chattanooga +3.5 (-110)
- UC Irvine -3.5 (-110)
Money Line
- Chattanooga +150
- UC Irvine -170
Total
- Over 145.5 (-105)
- Under 145.5 (-115)
Two Teams Go Head to Head in Indy
Devin Tillis averages 13.5 points and 7.8 boards for the Anteaters
UC Irvine has been scraping by all year long, and especially in this tournament. They hosted the first three games of this tournament, beating Jacksonville State by just 5, and barely squeaking by UAB, winning by 4 in OT. Even against North Texas in the NIT Semifinals, they only won by two and missed some crucial free throws down the stretch.
The Anteaters like to run and speed things up, ranking Top 100 in pace. However, they do not have the offense to keep up with their own tempo, plus they’ve proven they struggle when points are at a premium. Sure, they have a rock solid defense, but it certainly has some cracks in it, and this Mocs’ offense is equipped to take them down.
Chattanooga will slow this ball game down. I trust the Mocs to control the pace and limit the number of possessions. Therefore, I certainly think they can cover the spread. Offensively, Chattanooga shoots just as good as anyone, and they dare defenses to try and stop them. The Mocs rank 11th in eFG% in the nation, with just one game in their last 17 under a 52% eFG%. Even facing a good defense like the Anteaters, there are ways for Chattanooga to expose them.
Chattanooga Mocs vs UC Irvine Anteaters Best Bets
Trey Bonham does it all for the Mocs this season
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine Prediction: Chattanooga Wins Outright, Under 145.5
Best Bets: Chattanooga +3.5 (-110) BetOnline
Chattanooga shoots the ball ridiculously well. They shoot 36.7% from deep (44th), 57.9% from inside the arc (9th), and shoot 77% from the stripe (34th). They clearly don’t waste any points, and they let it fly from downtown, shooting over 45% of their shots from beyond the arc, ranking 55th in the country.
Over their past 10 games, the Mocs are shooting over 39% from downtown and 79% from the stripe. No one has been able to slow them down from deep, even in a new gym, as Chattanooga shot 9/21 from three against Loyola Chicago at Hinkle Fieldhouse last time out. The Anteaters rank 109th in 3P Rate defense, allowing shots from deep on 36% of possessions. Plus, over their last 10 games, they rank 301st in 3P% Defense, letting their opponents shoot nearly 38% from deep.
I see the Mocs sharpshooters getting even more possessions in this game with the Anteaters’ pace, which will be plenty of opportunity to cover this number and even win outright.
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