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NIT Round 1 Picks & Predictions 2025: Best Bets for First Round of Tournament

Mike Spector

Last Updated: March 18, 2025 11:34 AM EDT • 4 min 2 sec read.

2025 NIT Round 1 Picks & Predictions: Best Bets for First Round
Pictured: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Naithan George brings the ball up court against the Duke Blue Devils. Photo by Jim Dedmon via Imagn Images.

The NIT has a somewhat of a different look this year with the College Basketball Crown poaching some of the best power conference teams that did not make March Madness, but there are still plenty of exciting first round matchups.

Our NIT Round 1 picks and predictions include the odds from our best March Madness betting sites and offer an upset pick from a team that could be a sleeper in this 2025 National Invitational Tournament.

🏀 Best NIT Round 1 picks & predictions

Here are my three best NIT predictions for the first round with odds from our best sports betting sites. Be sure to check out all of our March Madness first-round picks.

✅ Georgia Tech -5.5 (-110 via FanDuel) vs. Jacksonville State ⭐⭐⭐
✅ Saint Joseph’s -5.5 (-105 via BetMGM) vs. UAB ⭐⭐⭐
✅ Furman +7.5 (-110 via DraftKings) vs. North Texas ⭐⭐⭐⭐

👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness predictions.

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💰 Our NIT best bets for first round

Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

✅ Georgia Tech -5.5 vs. Jacksonville State ⭐⭐⭐

Georgia Tech gave Duke everything it could handle in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, racing out to a 14-point first-half lead right around the time Cooper Flagg injured his ankle.

With a power conference team like the Yellow Jackets, one worries about motivation entering these games. But I expect Georgia Tech to come ready to play, as it's not like it was snubbed or on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.

Jacksonville State forces turnovers at one of the lowest rates in D-I (13.3% ranks 352nd), and a Yellow Jackets squad that owns wins over Louisville and Clemson should be too much for an undersized Gamecocks team that allows too many free throws.

📊 Best odds: -110 via FanDuel ($10 to win $9.09)

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✅ Saint Joseph’s -5.5 vs. UAB ⭐⭐⭐

UAB was one half away on Sunday from being a bid-stealer and earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament after leading Memphis 35-32 at halftime. It should be difficult for the Blazers to pick themselves up after that crushing loss just three days later.

St. Joe’s has the interior defense (it ranks ninth in D-I in 2-point percentage allowed) to negate UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg inside.

UAB didn’t mind getting into track meets with Memphis, with all three meetings averaging nearly 80 possessions per game. 

Playing a game with more possessions could hurt the Blazers in this matchup, as the Hawks ranked 46th in the country and second in the Atlantic 10 in adjusted offensive efficiency amid a 5-1 stretch to end the regular season.

📊 Best odds: -105 via BetMGM ($10 to win $9.52)

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✅ Furman +7.5 vs. North Texas ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The SoCon final between Furman and Wofford was appointment television with elite shot-making from both squads.

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Furman was playing its best basketball of the season before that loss, winning six straight games and making a surprising run to the final as the league’s No. 5 seed. 

North Texas plays suffocating defense, ranking 16th in the country in 3-point percentage allowed, and consistently gets opponents to play at its pace, ranking 362nd in adjusted tempo.

But the AAC does not have many teams that space the floor and shoot from multiple positions like Furman has, and this could be one of the biggest upsets of the NIT first round.

📊 Best odds: -110 via DraftKings ($10 to win $9.09)

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🏆 NIT bracket predictions, sleepers & long shots to win tournament

In addition to our first-round predictions, we've offered our bracket picks for the entire NIT - including our best sleepers and long shots to win the 32-team tournament.

Here's a sneak peek at why UC Irvine is our pick to cut down the nets in the 2025 National invitational Tournament:

I am picking UC Irvine to win the NIT at +800 odds. The Anteaters make their free throws at an 81% clip (second-best in the country) and are one of the best defensive teams in this field (second in D-I in 2-point percentage allowed).

UC Irvine could face Georgia Tech in the second round, but I love the way the bracket would open up for the Anteaters after that. They were one of two teams to beat 30-win UC San Diego on its home court, and shouldn’t suffer from a lack of motivation over the next few weeks.

👉 For more analysis, check out my full NIT bracket predictions and preview.

👑 Best March Madness betting sites

Ready to place your March Madness bets? Check out the best March Madness betting promos from our best March Madness betting sites, as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”