Indiana vs. Wichita State odds, prediction: Bet Shockers in NIT Tournament

On Tuesday, there is a battle in the Midwest to decide who goes to the Final Four — the Final Four of the NIT Tournament, that is. Wichita State comes into its matchup with Indiana in Bloomington (7 p.m., ESPN) having covered seven of its past eight games and the Hoosiers having to play without leading scorer Romeo Langford.

Over this stretch, the Shockers have allowed more than 70 points in two games and have seen their rebound rate climb for 102nd to 73rd in this spurt.

Indiana, in its two games without Langford, has had two very different results. The Hoosiers scored 89 points in their victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) and 63 against Arkansas. They have shot a combined 12-of-43 from 3-point range in those games.

The Shockers are a bit more vulnerable when defending the 3-point arc rather than the paint, though they rank 321st in free-throw attempts allowed per opponent’s field-goal attempts. This is typically an issue. But with the Hoosiers ranking 327th in free-throw shooting percentage, this hurts the Shockers less in this matchup than it normally would.

Indiana has posted an ATS record as a home favorite of 6-9 while the Shockers have failed to cover one game away from home since Jan. 26. This is a spot to take the points with a team that could pull a shocker.

Prediction: Wichita State covers the spread