Oregon opened the NIT by thumping UC-Irvine with 60 percent of its usual lineup and three primary scorers scratched by injuries. Let's see how the same thinned-out team does against a superior foe, Central Florida. The Knights walloped Florida by 18 on the road in its initial tourney game. A much longer commute works to the Ducks' advantage, but the Knights are road-tested, having beaten Ole Miss from the SEC outside its league and playing Houston to within a half-dozen points.

Central Florida senior C.J. Kelly. has taken his game to another level in postseason play, averaging 23.3 points in three games across the AAC Tournament and NIT. Another key to the Knights' recent success has been the return of senior forward Michael Durr. He keys a defense that's allowed 60.2 points per game over the last six and just stifled Florida. UCF won four of those six, the losses coming by five to Memphis in the AAC semifinals and by two at Temple. With Oregon dealing with multiple injuries and getting several unlikely performances in its win over UC Irvine, I'll take the points.