COLLEGE BASKETBALL - NIT TOURNAMENT
1984/85
Post-Season NIT Final - UCLA Bruins (65) v (62) Indiana Hoosiers - The Bruins won their 1st NIT championship with a big win over Indiana and their coach Bob Knight. Both teams were tied 29-29 at the half, but UCLA took control in the 2nd half with star player and tournament MVP Reggie Miller (18 points) leading the way. Indiana pulled to within 62-60 but Miller sealed the win with a break-away dunk. UCLA also featured Nigel Miguel (18 points) and Brad Wright (5 points). Indiana featured Steve Alford (16 points) and Uwe Blab (11 points) (10, 1 Disc, USA Sports - David/Raftery, NTSC)
2003/04
Post-Season NIT Semi-Final - Rutgers Scarlet Knights (84) v (81) Iowa State Cyclones - In a great shoot-out, Rutgers held on in overtime to advance to the final. Rutgers Doubey (35 points) and Iowa States' Stinson (32 points) both have great nights (8, 2 Discs, ESPN 2 - Franklin/Raftery/Dykes, PAL)
Post-Season NIT Final - Michigan Wolverines (62) v (55) Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Michigan had too much defense for Rutgers as they won their 1st trophy for 14 years. MVP Horton 14 points, 5 rebounds (8, 2 Discs, ESPN - Franklin/Raftery/Dykes, PAL)
2004/05
Post-Season NIT Final - South Carolina Gamecocks (60) v (57) St.Josephs Hawks - In a case of Deja-Vu, the Hawks lost the game on a 3 point shot with 1.3 seconds left (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Franklin/Franschilla/Raftery, PAL)
2007/08
Post-Season NIT Final - Massachusetts Minutemen (85) v (92) Ohio State Buckeyes - Ohio State won their 1st trophy since 1986 with a strong offensive output against a fast running UMass team. Jamar Butler (19 pts, 8 assist) and Kosta Koufos (22 pts) led the Buckeyes while Ricky Harris (27 pts) led the Minutemen (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Franklin/Franschilla/Raftery, PAL)
2008/09
Post-Season NIT Semi-Final - Baylor Bears (76) v (62) San Diego State Aztecs - #2 seed Baylor upset #1 seed San Diego State to reach their 1st ever NIT Final. In a close game, the difference proved to be Baylor's Senior Guard Curtis Jerrells (25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) who top scored in the game. Baylor also featured LaceDarius Dunn (23 points, 6 rebounds) and Kevin Rogers (14 points, 7 rebounds). San Diego State were led by Kyle Spain (15 points) (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Franklin/Franschilla/Raftery, PAL)
Post-Season NIT Final - Baylor Bears (63) v (69) Penn State Nittany Lions - With the support of a raucous crowd, Penn State ended their 18 year tournament drought with their 1st ever NIT title. In a physical game, both teams battled hard with Baylor taking a 29-25 lead at the break. But Penn State re-grouped under the guidance of Jamelle Cornley (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Talor Battle (17 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), finally taking the lead in the 2nd half then cruising home. Baylor were led by LaceDarius Dunn (18 points, 6 rebounds), Curtis Jerrells (14 points, 6 assists) Kevin Rogers (12 points, 8 rebounds). Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was cheerleading for the Nittany Lions (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Franklin/Franschilla/Raftery, PAL)
2009/10
Post-Season NIT Final - Dayton Flyers (79) v (68) North Carolina Tarheels - The Flyers upset the reigning NCAA champions for their 1st NIT Championship since 1968. Dayton led 45-32 at the half and kept the Tarheels at length during the 2nd half with tough Defense, that forced 15 turnovers, and clutch 3 point shooting, with Marcus Johnson (20 points) and Chris Wright (14 points, 9 rebounds) leading the way. The Tarheels were led by Will Graves (25 points) and Deon Thompson (13 points, 10 rebounds) (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Franklin/Franschilla/Raftery, PAL)
2010/11
Post-Season NIT Final - Wichita State Shockers (66) v (57) Alabama Crimson Tide - Wichita State won their 1st ever post-season title with an upset over #1 seed Alabama. Led by tournament MVP Graham Hatch (12 points) and JT Durley (12 points), the Shockers scored 2 crucial 3 pointers in the final minutes to pull away and win the title. Alabama were led by Tony Mitchell (13 points, 12 rebounds) but he had no support from star player JaMychal Green (12 points) who spent most of the game on the bench with foul trouble (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Saunders/Fraschilla/Raftery, PAL)
2011/12
Post-Season NIT Final - Stanford Cardinal (75) v (51) Minnesota Golden Gophers - Stanford completed their season with a comfortable win at Madison Square Garden to claim their 2nd NIT title. Both teams were evenly matched in the 1st half, with Stanford leading 31-25 at the half, but the Cardinal used great defense and great shooting in the 2nd half to pull away and take the win. Stanford were led by MVP Aaron Bright (15 points, 6 assists), Chasson Randle (15 points), Anthony Brown (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Jarrett Mann (9 points, 5 assists). Minnesota were led by Rodney Williams (12 points, 5 rebounds), Joe Coleman (10 points) and Austin Hollins (10 points, 7 rebounds) (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Patrick/Fraschilla/Raftery, PAL)
2012/13
Post-Season NIT Final - Baylor Bears (74) v (54) Iowa Hawkeyes - The Bears claimed their 1st ever NIT title with a comfortable win at Madison Square Garden. Led by Pierre Jackson (17 points, 10 assists) the Bears posted a 27-22 lead at the half then used a strong start to the 2nd half to build a big lead that they defended to the end. Baylor also featured Cory Jefferson (23 points, 7 rebounds) and Isaiah Austin (15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists). Iowa featured Mike Gesell (13 points) and A White (12 points) but were made to pay for only shooting 26% from the field (9, 1 Disc, ESPN - Wischusen/Raftery/Knight, PAL)
2014/15
Post-Season NIT Semi-Final - Stanford Cardinal (67) v (60) Old Dominion Monarchs - Stanford survived a furious comeback by the Monarchs to reach their 2nd NIT final in 4 years. Stanford held a 21 point lead in the 1st half but Old Dominion fought back to take the lead in the 2nd half before Stanford re-grouped and closed out the game. The star for Stanford was Chasson Randle (24 points), who became Stanford's all-time scoring leader during the game. Stanford also featured Stefan Nastic (17 points) and Anthony Brown (14 points). Old Dominion were led by bench players Richard Ross (15 points) and Ambrose Mosley (16 points) but were let down by poor games from stars Trey Freeman and Aaron Bacote (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Wischusen/Fraschilla/Knight, PAL)
Post-Season NIT Final - Stanford Cardinal (66) v (64) Miami Hurricanes - Stanford claimed their 2nd NIT title in 4 years with a hard-fought win over the Hurricanes in Overtime. Miami fought back from a 13 point deficit in the 2nd half to tie the game with 16 seconds left and led in overtime before tournament MVP Chasson Randle (25 points, 3 assists) went 4-4 on free-throws in the final minute to win the game. Stanford also featured Stefan Nastic (11 points, 4 rebounds) and Anthony Brown (9 points, 12 rebounds). Miami featured Sheldon McClellan (17 points), Davon Reed (16 points, 4 assists) and Ja'Quan Newton (10 points) (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Wischusen/Fraschilla/Knight, PAL)
2016/17
Post-Season NIT Final - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (56) v (88) TCU Horned Frogs - TCU won their 1st ever NIT Championship with a dominating blow-out win over Georgia Tech. Led by tournament MVP Kenrich Williams (25 points, 12 rebounds), the Horned Frogs started fast with a 20-3 run and stormed out to a 38-27 lead at the half. TCU finished off the Yellow Jackets in the 2nd half with 3-pointers and dunks, scoring 50 points to close out the win. TCU also featured Vladimir Brodziansky (18 points, 6 rebounds) and Alex Robinson (10 points, 11 assists). Georgia Tech featured Tadric Jackson (19 points) and Josh Okogie (12 points, 6 rebounds) (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Wischusen/Fraschilla/Budden, PAL)
2021/22
Post-Season NIT Final - Xavier Musketeers (73) v (72) Texas A&M Aggies - Xavier won their 2nd NIT title, and their first since 1958, with a last-second win at Madison Square Garden. The game featured 10 ties and 17 lead changes, with Xavier, then the Aggies, taking big leads in the game. The Musketeers overturned an 8-point deficit at the half and won the game with a sensational go-ahead field-goal with three seconds remaining. Xavier featured Colby Jones (21 points), Dwon Odom (18 points) and Jack Nunge (15 points, 11 rebounds). Texas A&M featured Quenton Jackson (23 points, 6 rebounds), Tyrece Radford (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Hassan Diara (12 points) (9, 1 Disc, ESPN - Schriffen/Fraschilla/Metcalf, PAL)