NIT Notes: Hawkeyes Sell Out Carver, Indiana State Coach Has Mixed Feelings Facing Former Team, Game Time, Television, Betting Odds, NIT Bracket

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Come back later to Iowa City Patch for a Liveblog of the game!

Game Time: 6:03 p.m. 

Television: ESPN2

Where: Carver Hawkeye Arena

Hawks Sell it Out (Iowa Athletic Department)

Tonight's attendance of 15,400 will be the largest attended NIT game on campus since Creighton hosted Kentucky in the second round in 2009 (16,984). This will be Iowa's fifth sellout of the season (Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Indiana State). The five sellouts are the most at Iowa in a season for since the 2005-06 campaign had five.

Hawkeye Players In it to Win It

The Hawkeyes might be a little bit disappointed about not making the NCAA Tournament still, but they are saying all the right things about the tournament that did select them.

Via Hawkeyesports

"We already won one game in the first round, so that's not the goal anymore," said junior Roy Devyn Marble. "The goal is to win it. Last year we were happy to be in there, we wanted to go as far as possible. Now we feel like we can win it. As long as we prepare and stay focused and do the little things, we'll be OK."

The Sycamores finished 18-14 overall and were 9-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are led by junior Jake Odum, a first team all-MVC selection. He averages 13.8 points and 4.6 assists, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range.

Indiana State Coach Greg Lansing Knows Iowa Well

Indiana State coach faces mixed emotions (the Gazette)

Greg Lansing grew up in southwest Iowa, coached high school basketball in Des Moines and worked under Steve Alford for seven years at Iowa.

As Indiana State’s head coach, Lansing returns to his native state at least twice a year to coach against Missouri Valley Conference foes Drake and Northern Iowa. But this trip is different for Lansing. He’s taking the Sycamores (18-14) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time as an opposing coach, and he’s got mixed emotions about his return.

“We got the email from the NIT (Sunday) night and instantly I got a big smile on my face and I laughed,” Lansing said. “You look back at seven of the best years of my life. It wasn’t my choice to leave. We loved Iowa City. I’ve always been a Hawkeye fan. So getting to be a part of that family was a dream come true and a time that I’m very thankful for and I’ll never forget.”

The Spread: Iowa Favored by 11

Indiana State at Iowa (-11, 134). Iowa won seven of its last 10, and seven of its losses in the Big 10 were by four points or less. Indiana State is just 2-6 in its last eight games, and a lot of people were picking them to win the Missouri Valley before that stretch. But this is a veteran Indiana State team, led by guard Jake Odum, and they did have wins over Miami and Mississippi. The thought here is that Iowa will prevail, but the game will be closer than many think. Take the points.