SB Nation New York - NIT Championship: Wichita State Defeats Alabama, 66-57, For Titlehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48977/ny-fave.png2011-04-01T09:27:38-04:00http://newyork.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18294012011-04-01T09:27:38-04:002011-04-01T09:27:38-04:00Wichita State 66, Alabama 57: Shockers Win NIT Title
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<p>New York, NY (Sports Network) – Graham Hatch and J.T. Durley both finished with 12 points as Wichita State topped Alabama, 66-57, to win its first National Invitation Tournament title.</p>
<p>Aaron Ellis and Garrett Stutz both added eight points for the Shockers (29-8), who entered the tournament as a No. 4 seed and advanced to the title game with a dominant 75-44 victory over Washington State on Tuesday.</p>
<p>“Just really ecstatic with our victory tonight,” Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall said. “Just a group of guys that deserve everything they have coming to them; an <span class="caps">NIT</span> championship, a National Invitational Championship, and they have beaten a lot of good clubs, including Alabama tonight.”</p>
<p>Tony Mitchell paced the Crimson Tide (25-12) with 13 points and 12 rebounds. JaMychal Green scored 12 and both Trevor Releford and Charvez Davis posted 10 points in the loss.</p>
<p>Alabama entered the tournament as a top seed and barely edged Colorado, 62-61, to reach the final.</p>
<p>“They were the better team so we give them credit. At the same time it takes nothing away from our young men and what we accomplished during the course of the season,” ‘Bama head coach Anthony Grant said. "I’m extremely proud of the effort our guys gave us and proud of our seniors."</p>
<p>Trailing 37-34 at the half, the Crimson Tide opened up the second half with a 7-3 run to take a slim 41-40 lead. Chris Hines capped the short Alabama spurt with a 1-of-2 showing from the line, but the Shockers regrouped and began to pull away.</p>
<p>Joe Ragland’s three-point play with 14:32 remaining started an 11-2 Wichita State run that Demetric Williams capped with a layup to give the Shockers a 51-43 edge.</p>
<p>Alabama got as close as 55-51 with a Davis layup and two Hines free throws with 5:51 remaining, but a final 11-1 Shockers run put the game out of reach.</p>
<p>Hatch connected on two three-pointers in the spurt, and after Ragland’s jumper with 2:10 remaining their lead was an insurmountable 66-52.</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/4/1/2084628/nit-championship-game-wichita-state-66-alabama-57-shockers-win-nit-titleEd Valentine2011-03-31T13:38:19-04:002011-03-31T13:38:19-04:00NIT Championship Game 2011: Wichita State Faces Alabama at Madison Square garden
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<p>(Sports Network) — Madison Square Garden is the site of tonight’s <span class="caps">NIT</span> Championship Game between the Wichita State Shockers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.</p>
<p>A four-seed, Wichita State has won 28 games this season, the most in the history of the program. The Shockers were completely dominant in Tuesday’s semifinal round, crushing a strong Washington State team by a 75-44 final in a game that was never close. Wichita State is making its second consecutive <span class="caps">NIT</span> appearance and is just 7-11 all-time in the event despite this season’s success. The club has never captured the crown, and a victory tonight would not only be a huge accomplishment for the program but one for the Missouri Valley Conference as well.</p>
<p>As for Alabama, a top-seed in this tournament, it faced another one of the top seeds, Colorado, in a highly-competitive semifinal game on Tuesday. In dramatic fashion, the Crimson Tide escaped with a 62-61 victory, their first- ever <span class="caps">NIT</span> win in Madison Square Garden. They are now 25-11 overall and were shunned by the <span class="caps">NCAA</span> Tournament selection committee despite a first-place finish in the SEC’s Western Division. Alabama is 21-13 all-time in <span class="caps">NIT</span> play and lost its only previous appearance in the event’s title game to Tulsa back in 2001.</p>
<p>The Crimson Tide own a 2-1 series edge over the Shockers, and the most recent meeting took place during the 1997-98 season.</p>
<p>Wichita State junior center Garrett Stutz picked the ideal time to play the best game of his career. Against Washington State on Tuesday, Stutz connected on 10-of-13 shots from the floor in a reserve role, finishing with a career- high 24 points and a season-best 11 rebounds. Toure’ Murry netted 13 points, and Gabe Blair finished with 10. The Shockers came away with a season-high 52 rebounds, securing more than twice as many caroms as the Cougars. Also worthy of mention is the fact that Wichita State held Washington State to 29.4 percent shooting from the field. Through 36 outings, the Shockers are generating 72.9 ppg while limiting opponents to 61.8 ppg on 40.9 percent shooting from the field. The only double-digit scorer on the roster is J.T. Durley with 11.2 ppg, but the club is outrebounding foes by 8.4 rpg and gets contributions from several individuals.</p>
<p>Freshman point guard Trevor Releford was the hero for Alabama in the semifinal win over Colorado, as he hit a layup with 13 seconds remaining that proved to be the difference. Releford scored 13 points in the affair and handed out six assists, while standout teammate JaMychal Green netted a game-high 22 points before fouling out. Alabama shot a solid 50 percent from the field in the tilt while limiting Colorado to 40 percent field goal efficiency, and the Tide also forced 16 turnovers. Those two positives helped coach Anthony Grant’s team overcome a 13-4 deficit in points from the foul line, as ‘Bama was just 4- of-11 from the charity stripe on the night. One of the <span class="caps">SEC</span>’s best frontcourt performers, Green is averaging 15.6 ppg this season to go along with 7.6 rpg. Tony Mitchell is close behind with 15.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg, while Releford contributes 11.1 ppg. The Crimson Tide are generating 67.1 ppg while holding opponents to 59.2 ppg on 38.3 percent field goal efficiency, as strong defense has been the key to the club’s success.</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/3/31/2083132/nit-championship-game-2011-wichita-state-faces-alabama-at-madisonEd Valentine2011-03-30T08:37:17-04:002011-03-30T08:37:17-04:00NIT Bracket Update: Wichita State, Alabama In Title Game
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<p>Wichita State and Alabama will meet Thursday in the NIT Championship Game (7 p.m., ESPN2) following victories Tuesday in the semifinals. Wichita State routed Washington State, 75-44, and Alabama edged Colorado, 62-61. Recaps of each game are below.</p>
<p><b>Alabama 62, Colorado 61</b></p>
<p><font><font size="2">Trevor Releford converted the game-winning layup with 12.6 seconds remaining for Alabama. Releford finished with 13 points, six assists and four steals for the top-seeded Crimson Tide (25-11), who were led in scoring by JaMychal Green. He had 22 points before fouling out. Colorado finishes the season 24-14.</font></font></p>
<p>For more on the Buffaloes, check out SB Nation’s <a href="http://www.ralphiereport.com/" target="new">Ralphie Report</a>. To connect with Alabama fans, visit <a href="http://www.rollbamaroll.com/" target="new">Roll Bama Roll</a>.</p>
<p><b>Wichita State 75, Washington State 44</b></p>
<p>Garrett Stutz scored a career-high 24 points as the Wichita State Shockers (28-8) crushed the Washington State Cougars (22-13) Tuesday night. Also scoring in double figures for the Shockers were Toure' Murry and Gabe Blair with 13 and 10 points, respectively. No Washington State players scored in double figures.</p>
<p><b>Tuesday, March 29th:</b></p>
<p>No. 4 Wichita State defeats No. 2 Washington State, 75-44</p>
<p>No. 1 Alabama defeats No. Colorado, 62-61</p>
<p><b>Thursday, March 31st</b></p>
<p><b><span class="caps">NIT</span> Championship Game:</b> No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Wichita State 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/3/30/2080444/nit-bracket-update-wichita-state-alabama-in-title-gameEd Valentine2011-03-29T10:15:12-04:002011-03-29T10:15:12-04:00NIT Final Four: Colorado Vs. Alabama, Wichita State Vs. Washington State
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<p>Action in the NIT Tournament moves to Madison Square Garden tonight with two Final Four match-ups. At 7 p.m. a pair of No. 1 seeds, Colorado and Alabama, will meet. At 9 p.m., fourth-seeded Wichita State faces No. 2 seed Washington State. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN2.</p>
<p>The winners will meet Thursday at MSG in the championship game (7 p.m., ESPN2).</p>
<p>Colorado has defeated Texas Southern, California and Kent State thus far in the tournament. Alabama advanced with with victories over Coastal Carolina, New Mexico and Miami (Fla.).</p>
<p>Wichita State defeated Nebraska, Virginia Tech and the College of Charleston to reach the Final Four. Washington State has victories over Long Beach, Oklahoma State and Northwestern.</p>
<p><b>Tuesday, March 29th</b>:</p>
<p>Semifinal 1: No. 1 Colorado vs. No. 1 Alabama, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p>Semifinal 2: No. 4 Wichita State vs. No. 2 Washington State, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p><b>Thursday, March 31st</b>:</p>
<p>NIT Championship Game: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p><i>More 2011 March Madness resources: Visit our <a target="_blank" href="../../../ncaa-basketball/2011/ncaa-basketball/2011/2011-ncaa-tournament">NCAA Tournament hub</a> for up-to-date news and information and check out our constantly updated <a target="_blank" href="../../../ncaa-basketball/2011/ncaa-basketball/2011/ncaa-basketball/2011/3/11/2044866/ncaa-bracket-2011">printable NCAA Tournament bracket</a>.</i></p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/3/29/2078501/nit-final-four-colorado-vs-alabama-wichita-state-vs-washington-stateEd Valentine2011-03-24T09:39:10-04:002011-03-24T09:39:10-04:00NIT Tournament 2011: Washington State, Wichita State, Alabama Reach Semifinals
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<p>The Final Four of the 2011 <span class="caps">NIT</span> Tournament is now set. Washington State, Wichita State and Alabama won quarterfinal round games Wednesday to advance to Madison Square Garden. Colorado had advanced on Tuesday with an 81-74 victory over Kent State.</p>
<p>The semifinals will be held Tuesday, March 29 at <span class="caps">MSG</span>. Washington State and Wichita State will meet at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) and Alabama will face Colorado at 9 p.m. (ESPN2). The winners will meet in the championship game Thursday, March 31 (7 p.m., ESPN2).</p>
<p>Here are quick recaps of Wednesday’s quarterfinal action.</p>
<p><strong>Washington State 69, Northwestern 66 (OT):</strong> Northwestern rallied from 14 points down to force overtime, but could not sustain the momentum in overtime. Northwestern’s inability to make a shot in overtime led to the win for Washington State. The Wildcats made just one of their 10 attempts from the floor in overtime, and missed all eight of their three-point shots. Klay Thompson scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Washington State.</p>
<p><strong>Wichita State 82, Coll. of Charleston 75: </strong>Gabe Blair had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Shockers to the victory.</p>
<p><strong>Alabama 79, Miami (Fla.) 64: </strong>Trevor Releford scored 22 points to lead the Crimson Tide past the Hurricanes in the quarterfinals of the <span class="caps">NIT</span> at Coleman Coliseum. Senario Hillman contributed 17 points for Alabama.</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/3/24/2069365/nit-tournament-2011-semifinals-washington-state-wichita-state-alabama-colorado-pairings-tv-timesEd Valentine2011-03-23T09:17:53-04:002011-03-23T09:17:53-04:00NIT Tournament 2011: Colorado First Team To Reach Madison Square Garden
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<p>Colorado defeated Kent State, 81-74, in NIT Quarterfinal action Tuesday night, becoming the first team to reach the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The remaining three quarterfinals games will be played this evening.</p>
<p>The top-seeded Buffaloes got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Alec Burks in the victory over the seventh-seeded Golden Flashes. Colorado will play their winner of tonight's quarterfinal between second-seeded Miami and top-seeded Alabama (9 p.m., ESPN2). See SB Nation's Colorado website, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ralphiereport.com/">The Ralphie Report</a>, for more on the Buffaloes.</p>
<p>Quarterfinal matchups on the other side of the NIT bracket are sixth-seeded College of Charleston vs. fourth-seeded Wichita State (7p.m., ESPN2) and fourth-seeded Northwestern vs. second-seeded Washington State (11 p.m., ESPN2).</p>
<p><b>Tuesday</b>:</p>
<p>Quarterfinal 1: No. 1 Colorado def. No. 7 Kent State, 81-74</p>
<p><b>Wednesday</b>:</p>
<p>Quarterfinal 2: No. 6 College of Charleston vs. No. 4 Wichita State, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p>Quarterfinal 3: No. 2 Miami vs. No. 1 Alabama, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p>Quarterfinal 4: No. 4 Northwestern vs. No. 2 Washington State, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p><b>Semifinals (Tuesday, March 29)<br></b></p>
<p>No. 1 Colorado vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 3, 7 or 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p>Winner of Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 4, 7 or 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p><b>Finals (Thursday, March 31)</b></p>
<p>Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/3/23/2067224/nit-tournament-2011-colorado-first-team-to-reach-madison-square-gardenEd Valentine2011-03-22T09:51:14-04:002011-03-22T09:51:14-04:00NIT Tournament Bracket Update: Elite 8 Tips Off Tuesday Night
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<p>The Elite 8 pairings were set Monday night in the 2011 NIT Tournament as a pair of No. 2 -seeds, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/miami-hurricanes">Miami Hurricanes</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/washington-st-cougars">Washington St. Cougars</a>, and No. 1 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/alabama-crimson-tide">Alabama Crimson Tide</a> all earned victories and advanced.</p>
<p>Here are the second-round results: No. 4 Northwestern advanced by routing top-seeded Boston College, 85-67; No. 1 Colorado defeated California, 89-72; No. 6 College of Charleston defeated No. 2 Cleveland State, 64-56; No. 7 Kent State beat No. 6 Fairfield, 72-68; No. 4 Wichita State shocking No. 1 Virginia Tech, 79-76; No. 1 Alabama beat No. 4 New Mexico, 74-67; No. 2 Miami downed No. 3 Missouri St., 81-72; and No. 2 Washington St. cruised past No. 3 Oklahoma St., 74-64.</p>
<p>Here is a look at the complete bracket.</p>
<p><b>Left Bracket</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Miami (2) at Alabama (1) --Wednesday, March 23, 9 p.m., ESPN</li>
<li>Kent St (7) at Colorado (1) -- Tuesday, March 22, 9 p.m., ESPN</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Right Bracket</b></p>
<ul>
<li>(4) Northwestern at (2) Washington St. -- Wednesday, March 22, 11 p.m., ESPN2</li>
<li>(6) Charleston at (4) Witchita St. -- Wednesday, March 22, 7 p.m., ESPN2</li>
</ul>
<p><i style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">For more college basketball, visit <a style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #002c66; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" href="http://sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball">SB Nation's NCAA Basketball hub</a>.</i></p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/3/22/2331997/nit-tournament-bracket-update-elite-8-tips-off-tuesday-nightJared Smith