North Texas vs Sam Houston Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 19 NIT Game (Bearkats Keep it Close in Denton)

North Texas vs Sam Houston Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• North Texas (27-7) vs. Sam Houston (26-7)
• Date: Sunday, March 19, 2023
• Time: 4:00 PM ET
• Venue: UNT Coliseum -- Denton, Texas
• Coverage: ESPN+

The 2023 NIT continues on Sunday with a great second-round matchup between the North Texas Mean Green and Sam Houston State Bearkats. North Texas defeated Alcorn State 69-53 in the first round on Wednesday, while Sam Houston State snuck by Santa Clara 58-56 to reach this showdown.

North Texas vs Sam Houston Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NO TEX: (-220) | SAMHOU: (+180)
• Spread: NO TEX: -4.5 (-120) | SAMHOU: +4.5 (-102)
• Total: 116.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

North Texas enters this contest as a moderate favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 4 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 116.5 points, which ranks as the lowest of Sunday's NIT projected totals.

North Texas vs Sam Houston Betting Trends

• North Texas' record against the spread is 17-15-0.
• The Mean Green's ATS record as 4.5-point favorites or more is 13-9.
• North Texas has seen 15 of its 32 games hit the over.
• Against the spread, Sam Houston is 18-11-0 this year.
• The Bearkats are 3-1 as 4.5-point underdogs or greater.
• There have been 12 Sam Houston games (out of 29) that went over the total this year.

North Texas Rank	North Texas AVG		Sam Houston AVG	Sam Houston Rank
337th	64.4	Points Scored	72.7	152nd
1st	55.6	Points Allowed	58.8	4th
250th	30.6	Rebounds	33.9	57th
105th	9.3	Off. Rebounds	10.1	49th
202nd	7.2	3pt Made	8.2	84th
330th	11.0	Assists	13.7	130th
49th	10.6	Turnovers	12.5	246th

North Texas vs Sam Houston Prediction & Pick

Sam Houston's win on Wednesday was far from perfect. The Bearkats held a 10-point lead at one point, but needed a go-ahead bucket with one minute left to seal the deal. They forced 17 turnovers, which shouldn't be shocking considering they rank 23rd in opponent turnovers per game (15.4).

North Texas' defense is on another level this season, though. The Mean Green rank first in points allowed per game (56.2) and 11th in defensive efficiency. They allow an opponent shooting mark of only 39.8% (No. 11 in NCAA) and have more than enough depth to handle a talented Bearkats team.

North Texas has won each of its last five home games against Sam Houston, so take the Mean Green.

Final Score Prediction: North Texas: 58 | Sam Houston: 56

North Texas vs Sam Houston Best Bet

Sam Houston won outright against Santa Clara on Wednesday in a game in which it was slated as a 4.5-point underdog. The Bearkats now head into Sunday's game in the exact same spot. They check in only slightly behind the Mean Green in most defensive categories and should keep this one close.

Sam Houston is 7-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight games overall and 6-1 ATS in its last seven games against a Conference-USA opponent. On the other side, North Texas is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games against a WAC opponent. This second-round clash has nail-biter written all over it.

Bet: Sam Houston Bearkats +4.5 (-102)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.