Close Calls in NIT Semifinals
by Ray Floriani
NEW YORK – The 70th edition of the National Invitation Tournament came to New York. The region was treated to a classic two days earlier in East Rutherford, N.J. on the other side of the Hudson. Here in the Big Apple drama was not exactly in short supply, with West Virginia and Clemson both advancing to the NIT finals at Madison Square Garden by virtue of one-point victories.
The opener between the Mountaineers of the Big East and Mississippi State was a last-second classic. With two seconds remaining, West Virginia trailed by two and had the ball in the Mississippi State end on the baseline. Following a time out, the Mountaineers ran a play that got Darris Nichols a good look in the corner. Nichols buried a trey at the buzzer and the celebration started, only to be halted.
The officiating crew went to check the monitor. The Garden has three point lines for college and the NBA, and the officials wanted to be certain Nichols was behind the line and his shot was released in time. In an almost surreal scene, the players waited by their benches. Fans stood up and the roughly two-minute monitor review seemed almost an eternity. Finally, it was confirmed: the shot was off in time, it was a three, game for West Virginia, 63-62.
The nightcap was also decided by a point, but it was more of too little, too late for Air Force and a few anxious moments for Clemson. Clemson basically had a double digit lead a good part of the contest, but Air Force made a run to draw even at 51 with just over six minutes to play. Clemson regrouped and reestablished a lead, but in the stretch Air Force never quit. Even the final moments were testimony to their outstanding work ethic and perseverance.
After cutting the Clemson lead to four with seconds remaining, Air Force intercepted the inbound pass and Dan Nwaelele drained a three-pointer. Following a timeout and with just over a second to play, Clemson inbounded and Falcon guard Matt McGraw made a diving lunge for the ballhandler to hopefully draw afoul and get him on the line. McGraw’s lunge took him about ten feet across the floor and right by us at press row. McGraw didn’t get the foul, the buzzer sounded and Clemson was victorious 68-67.
Mississippi State did a good job of locating the West Virginia three-point marksmen. The Mountaineers relied on transition and/or penetrations and kick-outs. State also did a good job of penetrating the WVU 1-3-1 and forcing John Beilein to go with more man-to-man than he planned. State coach Rick Stansbury was disappointed over his club letting West Virginia back after establishing a 14-point second half lead. “They converted that last shot. It was a huge shot but we let them get back into it when we had the lead.”
Clemson did a very good job of denying Air Force’s back door cuts out of their Princeton offense. The Tigers also pounded the boards 30-23. Air Force mentor Jeff Bzdelik was disappointed over the rebounding, a pre-game priority, and the foul line, where the usually dependable Falcons shot a paltry 6-of-14.
Players of note:
Darris Nichols, Jr. G, WVU: 17 points, 6 rebounds
Frank Young, Sr. F, WVU: 16 points, 6 rebounds
Dietric Slater, Sr. G/F, Miss St.: 18 points, 9 rebounds
Charles Rhodes, Jr. C, Miss St.: 10 points, 10 rebounds
K.C. Rivers, So. G, Clemson: 19 points (including a few key shots to quell Air Force runs), 6 rebounds
Vernon Hamilton, Sr. G, Clemson: 11 points, 8 assists
Nick Welch, Sr. C, Air Force: 16 points (7-of-7 from field)
Matt McGraw, Sr. G, Air Force: 15 points, 5 assists
Notes
- You don’t have to spend any time convincing John Beilein the NIT is more than simply a consolation prize. “Anyone who would ever be disappointed about playing in the NIT is crazy,” Beilein said immediately after his team’s wild semifinal win.
- Beilein was quick to credit Danny Nee for the success of the winning shot. “I got that play from Danny Nee, former Nebraska (and Duquesne) coach at a coaching clinic just last fall,” Beilein said. “We have used it successfully before but never in an end-of-game situation.”
West Virginia was down two at the time but Beilein instructed his players to go for the best shot, whether a two or three – whatever was available. - Bzdelik was asked about finishing at the NIT Final Four in the school’s first appearance in the event. “For this group to finish their careers on this floor, in this city is truly special. I can’t say enough about these young men. They persevered and gave a great effort. People should be proud to know young men like these will serve their country.”
The Air Force coach also singled out senior guard Matt McGraw. “Minutes after the game he was in the locker room talking to our underclassmen reminding the work they needed to do to get better.” - Clemson started the year 17-0. Oliver Purnell’s club later went through a slump of losing seven of eight. Currently they are back on track, having taken six of their last seven. The lone setback was a loss to Florida State in the ACC Tournament.
- Clemson was last here in the NIT Final Four in 1999 when they dropped a heartbreaker to California in the finals.
- West Virginia last appeared in the NIT Final Four in 1981, where Tulsa edged Syracuse in an overtime thriller for the title. West Virginia dropped two tough ones, to Tulsa and then Purdue in the consolation. That trip was significant because it marked the beginning of the Mountaineer resurgence under Gale Catlett.
- Chalk it up to being past midnight, but one writer asked Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik if he would be back next season. The coach politely replied that he would not address that question but rather focus on the game just played.
Seldon Jefferson played for West Virginia in the mid to late 90s and was in attendance. These days he’s an assistant basketball coach and teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn. That’s the alma mater of former Rutgers great Phil Sellers, who just got his number retired at the Brooklyn school.
Jefferson admires the offense of Beilein. “They shoot a lot of threes, which I like,” Jefferson said smiling. “Under coach (Gale) Catlett we shot threes but we had more size so we didn’t shoot as many. But I enjoyed playing for coach Catlett. He did a fine job.”
On the Baseline
- West Virginia cheerleaders bussed from Morgantown at midnight and arrived Tuesday morning in New York at 7:30 a.m. “We couldn’t check into our hotels until 3, so the group went around New York sightseeing,” said coach Christy Davis, a member of the ’97 WVU cheer squad.
- The Mississippi State cheer group visited Ground Zero and the Museum of Natural History. Their coach, Melissa Nichols, ironically is an Ole Miss grad.
- Air Force junior Christin Hart said the Falcon cheerleaders had a busy schedule. “We were on the Today Show, went to Times Square and visited MTV. New York is just so much fun,” added Hart, an aeronautical engineering major from Houston. That’s a major I needed Christin to check the spelling of.
Her kids performed great, but it was a tough night overall for Air Force cheer coach Laura Hutchen: she is a graduate of Mississippi State.
