NIT Finals
Michigan 62, Rutgers 55
At the beginning of the year, the Michigan Wolverines were not even sure if they were going to be playing in the postseason.
In September, the Wolverines won an appeal that would have barred them from the postseason and took full advantage of it – beating Rutgers, 62-55, in the NIT championship game in New York.
It is the third time the Blue and Gold have captured the NIT title.
Michigan looked to be dominating early on as they built up a 12-point edge after the first 20 minutes of play. Then, with just under 11 minutes remaining, Rutgers took a 44-43 lead after being behind 41-29.
The lead went back-and-forth for a few possessions. Then, Michigan’s Bernard Robinson Jr., made an easy two-pointer and gave them the lead for good. Robinson would add three free throws later on to add to a 9-0 run to put the lid on the game. Rutgers would fail to score a point for over four minutes during that run, letting Michigan take a 57-48 lead with 1:00 to go.
Daniel Horton led Michigan with 14 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Rutgers’ Quincy Douby could only manage two points, just two nights removed from a 35-point performance over Iowa State. Herve Lamizana had eight blocks and 19 points to lead the Scarlet Knight’s.
Michigan’s last NIT championship came in 1997, but that was taken away as part of NCAA sanctions on the program.
