NEW YORK – It is probably safe to assume neither team expected a game of this type. On paper it seemed to be an even matchup, but that is the reason they play them and settle it on the court. In the NIT championship, Stanford routed Minnesota 75-51. The title, in this 75th NIT, was Stanford’s second. The Cardinal also won the crown in 1991. The points of emphasis:
1. Defense. Exhibit a had to be the D. Good old man-to-man with denial and a physical presence in the paint. The Cardinal limited Minnesota to a 37 percent shooting night. Of greater importance was the forcing of the opposition into 22 turnovers. Those errors on the part of Minnesota led Stanford to an excellent 28-7 advantage in points off turnovers. “We saved the best for last,” Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. “We have had runs like this before but never in a game like this on this stage.”
The Cardinal led 31-25 at the half. After dominating the first four minutes of the second half, they were ahead by 15 and on their way thanks to that outstanding defense. “We missed, I thought, some easy baskets especially the first half,” Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said. “But we did not take good care of the of the ball at all.” Credit the Cardinal defensive effort for that.
2. Aaron Bright. The 5-11 sophomore guard is a player “who accepts his role,” according to Dawkins. Bright came off the bench in the first half to hit a few perimeter shots and trigger the break as Stanford opened up the lead at the half. Bright tied teammate Chasson Randle for scoring honors with 15 points. He did add 6 assists. For his impact in the 25 minutes on the floor, Bright was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “He (Bright) brought us a spark,” Dawkins said. “When he enters a game he changes everything because now the defense must react differently with him on the floor.”
3. Supporting cast. Stanford had a strong one, while the young Minnesota team was left wanting. The Cardinal enjoyed a 29-15 edge in bench scoring. Tubby Smith’s leading scorer, Rodney Williams, was defended aggressively. The Minnesota junior forward finished with a team-high 12 points. Williams shot just 4 of 9 and committed 4 turnovers. Andre Hollins and Joe Coleman added 10 points each but no one consistently rose to the occasion as a threat to complement Williams.
Minnesota finished up at 23-15. They played every NIT game away from home, winning at LaSalle, Miami (Fla.) and Middle Tennessee before venturing to New York. Stanford ended the year at 26-11 and played all three games at home prior to heading East. Their early round wins came against Cleveland State, Illinois State in overtime and Nevada.
“Looking back I can see this team actually started growing last April,” Dawkins said of his club. “We had a great Summer trip to Spain that just got us closer as a team. These guys are champions forever. No one can take that away from them. Anytime they walk into Maples (Pavilion, the Stanford home facility) that NIT championship banner will always be there to remind them about what they accomplished.”
