NIT 2013 Championship: Iowa Hawkeyes Versus Baylor Bears Preview. Schedule, Television, Betting Odds

• Like Iowa City Patch on Facebook
• Like Iowa City Patch on Twitter
• Get a Morning News Update Every Day with Our Free E-mail Newsletter

Game Time: 8:00 p.m. CST

Television: ESPN (and Watch ESPN if available to you). Iowa City Patch will also have Liveblog up for those who can't watch the game.

Betting Odds: Iowa is either a slight favorite or its a toss up, meaning oddsmakers think it could go either way. (Vegas Insider)

Iowa vs. Baylor, 2013 NIT Championship: Hawkeyes look to close out strong postseason run with a title (SB Nation)

After four dominating postseason performances, the Iowa Hawkeyes will look to close out their first NIT title on Thursday night when they take on the Baylor Bears in the tournament's championship game. The Hawkeyes have won all four of their postseason games by double-figures.

For more on the story, visit Black Heart Gold Pants and Our Daily Bears

Iowa set to face Baylor for NIT championship (Huffington Post)

NIT championship point spread and pick – Iowa and Baylor (Sporting News)

But Iowa should be able to handle Baylor’s size tonight and has the better defense.

"I know statistically defensively they'll be as good as anyone we played this year,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew. “We've played some great ones, Kansas comes to mind right away. But all season long, they've held their opponents for the season under 30 percent from 3, 38 percent from the field. I think they do a tremendous job in contesting shots, being very physical, making sure you don't get easy buckets.

So, we’re on board with the line move in the Hawkeyes' direction and will look to cash one more Iowa ticket this season.

Hawkeyes can be one of few to close with a ‘W’ (Gazette)

NEW YORK — A burning issue in the Land of the Hawkeye is whether a deep NIT run is better than a preliminary-round NCAA tournament loss.

I liked the response of Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery when asked about that last week:

“If  you make a long run in this tournament, we could easily have made a long run in that tournament. It’s really a question of who you match up against. Sometimes you get in your first round match and you’re like that’s the worst team we could have played or the best team.”

Iowa is good enough to have made it to the second week of the NCAAs if it had been given the right draw. If the Hawkeyes had run into, say, Louisville, on the first weekend, no. But had it been Gonzaga or Georgetown? Why not?

Devyn Marble wants more than NIT in Iowa career

Although he’s got the size (6-foot-7) and the skills to merit strong NBA consideration this summer, Marble won’t entertain those thoughts as the Hawkeyes prepare for the NIT championship tonight against Baylor.

“I’ll be back,” Marble said. “I’ve got a lot of things that I want to do as far as playing in the NCAA tournament. That’s something growing up I’ve always dreamed of being able to do. That’s the main key ingredient right there.