The NIT Championship may no longer be played in Madison Square Garden, but Hinkle Fieldhouse is an acceptable replacement. In tonight’s specific case, the Butler campus is also that much closer to fans of the Chattanooga Mocs, one of a few reasons to consider the Mocs’ hopes of upsetting the UC Irvine Anteaters tonight.
My Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine predictions and college basketball picks like those hopes. Tip-off comes at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 3 on ESPN.
Who will win the NIT Championship?
The Mocs are no strangers to being underdogs. They have been in each round of the NIT, rattling off four upsets to beat the NIT odds and reach this title game.
Rallying like that has been rather impressive given Chattanooga suffered a deflating overtime loss to Furman to knock the Mocs out of the Southern Conference Tournament after they had claimed the regular season title by two games. Plenty of teams would have collapsed internally after squandering such a strong chance at not only a March Madness appearance but also a genuine possibility of an upset in the Big Dance.
Instead, Chattanooga has doubled down on the strong offense that won it the Southern in the regular season. It has led the way to winning 16 of the last 17 games.
UC Irvine has had a strong season, but it going into a pseudo-road environment after never really sniffing NCAA Tournament hopes may be stretching its season too far.
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine prediction
My best bet: Chattanooga +3.5 (-105 at bet365)
A cockier approach would take the Chattanooga Mocs moneyline, available at +165 at bet365. Avoiding that is, in part, a reflection of UC Irvine Anteaters being the No. 4 free throw shooting team in the country, making 80.5% of its attempts at the charity stripe. If the Anteaters are up late, they should be trusted not to squander this game.
But give Chattanooga some thought.
The Mocs live on a relentless offense, ranked No. 43 in the country by KenPom. Specifically, Chattanooga takes plenty of 3-pointers and makes them at a 36.7% rate, No. 44 in the country. Combining that shot profile with meticulous protection of possession makes the Mocs a constant candidate to pull off an upset.
They have won outright in the last eight games where they were underdogs, dating back to January 24. Across the entire season, Chattanooga is 9-3 outright when an underdog and 10-2 against the spread.
That is what comes when a program buys in during a coach’s third season at the helm. Dan Earl brought a few players with him from VMI in the 2022 offseason, and that began a methodical turnaround. It should have reached a peak of the NCAA Tournament this year, but a tight game in the NIT Championship will have to suffice.
And against UC Irvine, it should at least be tight. The Anteaters are led by their defense, but it is a defense that packs the paint more than it frets about defending the arc. That is the exact wrong approach to take against Chattanooga.
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine same-game parlay (SGP)
Chattanooga +3.5
Chattanooga team total Over 70.5
The reason to avoid the game total Over 145.5 and instead take the Chattanooga team total Over 70.5 is that UC Irvine could be knocked off its approach should things go askew early.
Suppose the Mocs get out to an aggressive lead early, simply hot from outside. The Anteaters do not have an efficient enough offense to make up a notable gap, and any desperation could prove counterproductive. UC Irvine takes 3-pointers on only 35.5% of field goal attempts, No. 270 in the country. The usual Anteaters offense is not chucking from deep.
So if the game state quickly turns toward Chattanooga, UC Irvine may be so off balance that it cannot keep up to push this game past its total.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Chattanooga vs UC Irvine odds
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine live odds
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine opening odds
- Spread: Chattanooga +3.5 | UC Irvine -3.5
- Moneyline: Chattanooga +140 | UC Irvine -165
- Over/Under: Over 146.5 | Under 146.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine betting trend to know
Chattanooga is 4-0 outright this season as a two-score underdog, facing spreads between +3.5 and +6. Find more college basketball betting trends for Chattanooga vs. UC Irvine.
How to watch Chattanooga vs UC Irvine
| Location | Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
| Date | Thursday, 4-3-2025 |
| Tip-off | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Chattanooga vs UC Irvine key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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