NIT championship game
March 29 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
ESPN2
Tony Carr knows how to lead his team to a championship. What a performance.
Carr just missed a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds as Penn State won its second-ever NIT title, 82-66 over Utah.
Carr, a sophomore who may or may not declare for the NBA Draft next month, tied the NIT record for single-game assists as the Nittany Lions won their most games (26) since the 2008-09 team won 27 and the school's first NIT crown.
Lamar Stevens had one of the quietest 28-point, 11-of-15 shooting games I've seen in a while, Josh Reaves was also great (18 points, 8-of-13) and Penn State turned a five-point halftime cushion into a pretty comfortable victory with 64% (16-of-25) shooting in the second half.
Sedrick Barefield was great from three-point range (6-of-8) and finished with a team-high 22 points for the Utes.
Showing posts with label NIT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NIT. Show all posts
Games 575-576: NIT first round
576 - (8) SE Louisiana at (1) Saint Mary's
March 13 at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, CA
ESPN
Incredible shooting performance by Saint Mary's, which was nearly 60% (35-of-59) from the field in an 89-45 blowout.
The Gaels hit 13 threes and two players - Jock Landale (26 points) and Jordan Ford (19) scored as many points as the visitors from the Southland Conference. Calvin Hermanson hit five threes and scored all 17 of his points in a first half that saw the Gaels shoot 61% in building a 43-19 halftime cushion.
The victory was the 29th for Saint Mary's, tying a program record set in each of the past two seasons.
575 - (5) Boston College at (4) Western Kentucky
March 13 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY
espn3.com
The Hilltoppers, a top-15 shooting team nationally, hit 55% of their shots and moved on to the second round with a 79-62 victory. Western Kentucky will travel to USC, who defeated UNC Asheville 103-98 in two overtimes on Tuesday.
I wonder if Justin Johnson has an NBA future. The senior forward for WKU has good size (6-7, 245), can shoot it from anywhere (51% overall field goal percentage, 42% on threes) and is an excellent rebounder (averages 9.6, top-30 nationally). Johnson led the way on Tuesday, scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
Taveion Hollingsworth scored 18 points and Darius Thompson added 17 points and eight assists for the Hilltoppers, who at 25-10 have their most wins since the NCAA second-round team from 2008-09 finished 25-9.
Also a nice night of nonsense from the broadcast team of Dave Weekley & Rob Kennedy:
"a catch and shoot guy"
"he's got a Charles Barkley mentality in a point guard's body"
"concussion protocol"
"back in basketball shape"
"takes his foot off the gas"
"a football mentality"
"he pursues the basketball"
"pocket pass"
March 13 at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, CA
ESPN
Incredible shooting performance by Saint Mary's, which was nearly 60% (35-of-59) from the field in an 89-45 blowout.
The Gaels hit 13 threes and two players - Jock Landale (26 points) and Jordan Ford (19) scored as many points as the visitors from the Southland Conference. Calvin Hermanson hit five threes and scored all 17 of his points in a first half that saw the Gaels shoot 61% in building a 43-19 halftime cushion.
The victory was the 29th for Saint Mary's, tying a program record set in each of the past two seasons.
575 - (5) Boston College at (4) Western Kentucky
March 13 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY
espn3.com
The Hilltoppers, a top-15 shooting team nationally, hit 55% of their shots and moved on to the second round with a 79-62 victory. Western Kentucky will travel to USC, who defeated UNC Asheville 103-98 in two overtimes on Tuesday.
I wonder if Justin Johnson has an NBA future. The senior forward for WKU has good size (6-7, 245), can shoot it from anywhere (51% overall field goal percentage, 42% on threes) and is an excellent rebounder (averages 9.6, top-30 nationally). Johnson led the way on Tuesday, scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
Taveion Hollingsworth scored 18 points and Darius Thompson added 17 points and eight assists for the Hilltoppers, who at 25-10 have their most wins since the NCAA second-round team from 2008-09 finished 25-9.
Also a nice night of nonsense from the broadcast team of Dave Weekley & Rob Kennedy:
"a catch and shoot guy"
"he's got a Charles Barkley mentality in a point guard's body"
"concussion protocol"
"back in basketball shape"
"takes his foot off the gas"
"a football mentality"
"he pursues the basketball"
"pocket pass"
Games 394-395: Pair of finalists in Atlanta
395 - Washington State women at Georgia Tech
WNIT semifinals
March 29 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Despite awful nights from both three-point range (3-of-17) and at the free-throw line (12-of-26!), the Tech women joined their male classmates in the finals with Wednesday's 69-61 victory.
Rebounding was a huge factor as Tech had a 50-35 edge - Zaire O'Neal and Elo Edeferioka each had 16 boards. O'Neal was the main cuplrit from the line (6-of-13), but she also scored a game-high 20 points and added four assists.
Tech, 22-14, visits Michigan in Saturday's championship game.
394 - Cal State Bakersfield vs. Georgia Tech
NIT semifinals
March 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
ESPN
The season for the Georgia Tech men had already been incredible before Tuesday's 76-61 win when you consider that they (1) had a new head coach and (2) many thought they'd maybe win one or two games in the ACC (they won eight). For the Yellow Jackets to get to the title game - and pick up their 21st win - has as much to do with the development of post player Ben Lammers and the immediate contribution from freshman Josh Okogie as anything.
Lammers went from a bench player to the ACC's top defensive player and a legit scoring threat inside and from the mid-range in less than a year, while Okogie turned in one of the finest freshman seasons in the conference. Lammers had 15 and 11 with five blocked shots; Okogie contributed a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds in Tuesday's win.
Tech will play in its second NIT final (and first since 1971) against TCU on Thursday.
* Couple other nice performances in this one, including Tech reserve guards Tadric Jackson and Justin Moore, who combined for 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four assists and just one turnover. Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile hit five threes and led the Roadrunners with 18 points.
WNIT semifinals
March 29 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Despite awful nights from both three-point range (3-of-17) and at the free-throw line (12-of-26!), the Tech women joined their male classmates in the finals with Wednesday's 69-61 victory.
Rebounding was a huge factor as Tech had a 50-35 edge - Zaire O'Neal and Elo Edeferioka each had 16 boards. O'Neal was the main cuplrit from the line (6-of-13), but she also scored a game-high 20 points and added four assists.
Tech, 22-14, visits Michigan in Saturday's championship game.
394 - Cal State Bakersfield vs. Georgia Tech
NIT semifinals
March 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
ESPN
The season for the Georgia Tech men had already been incredible before Tuesday's 76-61 win when you consider that they (1) had a new head coach and (2) many thought they'd maybe win one or two games in the ACC (they won eight). For the Yellow Jackets to get to the title game - and pick up their 21st win - has as much to do with the development of post player Ben Lammers and the immediate contribution from freshman Josh Okogie as anything.
Lammers went from a bench player to the ACC's top defensive player and a legit scoring threat inside and from the mid-range in less than a year, while Okogie turned in one of the finest freshman seasons in the conference. Lammers had 15 and 11 with five blocked shots; Okogie contributed a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds in Tuesday's win.
Tech will play in its second NIT final (and first since 1971) against TCU on Thursday.
* Couple other nice performances in this one, including Tech reserve guards Tadric Jackson and Justin Moore, who combined for 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four assists and just one turnover. Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile hit five threes and led the Roadrunners with 18 points.
Game 386 - Illinois at Central Florida
NIT quarterfinals
March 22 at CFE Arena in Orlando, FL
ESPN2
Well, there's one thing you can say about Johnny Dawkins: he sure can coach in the NIT.
He moved to 14-1 all-time in the event as Central Florida advanced to the semifinals with a 68-58 win. The hosts provided their usual strong defense - they came into the night leading the nation in field goal percentage allowed and fifth in scoring defense - holding the Illini to 33% shooting.
Dawkins won NIT titles at Stanford to close both the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons and he's two wins away from No. 3.
UCF plays TCU in next Tuesday's final four.
Outstanding final collegiate game for Illinois' Malcolm Hill, who scored a game-high 29 points and on the other end of the floor added three of the Illini's 10 steals. Hill hit 9-of-18 from the field, though his teammates were just 10-of-44.
March 22 at CFE Arena in Orlando, FL
ESPN2
Well, there's one thing you can say about Johnny Dawkins: he sure can coach in the NIT.
He moved to 14-1 all-time in the event as Central Florida advanced to the semifinals with a 68-58 win. The hosts provided their usual strong defense - they came into the night leading the nation in field goal percentage allowed and fifth in scoring defense - holding the Illini to 33% shooting.
Dawkins won NIT titles at Stanford to close both the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons and he's two wins away from No. 3.
UCF plays TCU in next Tuesday's final four.
Outstanding final collegiate game for Illinois' Malcolm Hill, who scored a game-high 29 points and on the other end of the floor added three of the Illini's 10 steals. Hill hit 9-of-18 from the field, though his teammates were just 10-of-44.
Game 385 - Georgia Tech at Mississippi
NIT quarterfinals
March 21 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS
ESPN2
The remarkable season for Georgia Tech continued on Tuesday.
Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year Ben Lammers provided his usual dominance (eight blocked shots and four steals), Josh Okogie scored 26 points and the Yellow Jackets were neither tied nor behind in winning 74-66.
In coach Josh Pastner's first season, Tech is a 20-win team and headed to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals.
Lammers also had 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added four assists. Okogie, just a freshman, went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, including four straight over the final 1:22 to seal the victory. Mississippi took 28(!) threes, but made just six and wasted a great performance from all-SEC center Sebastian Saiz (19 points, 8-of-11 shooting, 15 rebounds).
Josh Heath had seven of Tech's 21 assists (on 26 made baskets), and the Atlanta school shot 51% from the field in winning for just the third time in 13 road games.
Tech, which failed to get past the quarterfinal round in last season's NIT, will play either Sun Belt Conference regular season champion UT-Arlington or WAC runner-up Cal-Bakersfield March 28.
March 21 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS
ESPN2
The remarkable season for Georgia Tech continued on Tuesday.
Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year Ben Lammers provided his usual dominance (eight blocked shots and four steals), Josh Okogie scored 26 points and the Yellow Jackets were neither tied nor behind in winning 74-66.
In coach Josh Pastner's first season, Tech is a 20-win team and headed to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals.
Lammers also had 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added four assists. Okogie, just a freshman, went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, including four straight over the final 1:22 to seal the victory. Mississippi took 28(!) threes, but made just six and wasted a great performance from all-SEC center Sebastian Saiz (19 points, 8-of-11 shooting, 15 rebounds).
Josh Heath had seven of Tech's 21 assists (on 26 made baskets), and the Atlanta school shot 51% from the field in winning for just the third time in 13 road games.
Tech, which failed to get past the quarterfinal round in last season's NIT, will play either Sun Belt Conference regular season champion UT-Arlington or WAC runner-up Cal-Bakersfield March 28.
Game 370 - Valparaiso at Illinois
NIT first round
March 14 at State Farm Center in Champaign, IL
espn3.com
It's been an interesting last month for Illinois. The Illini had a four-game winning streak at the end of February that included wins over future NCAA teams Northwestern and Michigan State & gave them a chance at an at-large bid, followed by a terrible loss to Rutgers in the regular season finale that probably put an end to that chance and a blowout defeat to Michigan in the Big 10 Tournament.
Two days after the Michigan loss (NOTE: this was the game where the Wolverines had to use practice jerseys because their regular uniforms were still stuck on a plane that had crashed on the runway prior to takeoff. Yes, it was THAT game), Illinois fired head coach John Groce. So, anything was possible in the Illini's NIT opener.
Well, Illinois turned it around at least for one day, getting 25 points from Malcolm Hill in an 82-57 victory. That's a 1-0 record for interim coach Jamall Walker, who watched the hosts hold Valpo to 3-of-18 shooting from three-point range.
Valparaiso had a really difficult end to its season: the nation's eighth-best scorer, Alec Peters, went down with a season-ending injury, the second-seeded Crusaders scored 41 points (12 in the first half) in their first game of the Horizon League Tournament, a loss which ended a shot at an NCAA bid, and then Tuesday's blowout loss. That all happened in about a three-week span.
March 14 at State Farm Center in Champaign, IL
espn3.com
It's been an interesting last month for Illinois. The Illini had a four-game winning streak at the end of February that included wins over future NCAA teams Northwestern and Michigan State & gave them a chance at an at-large bid, followed by a terrible loss to Rutgers in the regular season finale that probably put an end to that chance and a blowout defeat to Michigan in the Big 10 Tournament.
Two days after the Michigan loss (NOTE: this was the game where the Wolverines had to use practice jerseys because their regular uniforms were still stuck on a plane that had crashed on the runway prior to takeoff. Yes, it was THAT game), Illinois fired head coach John Groce. So, anything was possible in the Illini's NIT opener.
Well, Illinois turned it around at least for one day, getting 25 points from Malcolm Hill in an 82-57 victory. That's a 1-0 record for interim coach Jamall Walker, who watched the hosts hold Valpo to 3-of-18 shooting from three-point range.
Valparaiso had a really difficult end to its season: the nation's eighth-best scorer, Alec Peters, went down with a season-ending injury, the second-seeded Crusaders scored 41 points (12 in the first half) in their first game of the Horizon League Tournament, a loss which ended a shot at an NCAA bid, and then Tuesday's blowout loss. That all happened in about a three-week span.
Game 199 - Georgia Tech at San Diego State
NIT quarterfinals
March 23 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA
ESPN
Just a quick message from commentator Sean Farnham:
"The student section is the lifeline to the energy of the building."
Wow!
March 23 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA
ESPN
Just a quick message from commentator Sean Farnham:
"The student section is the lifeline to the energy of the building."
Wow!
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