The NIT championship matchup is set, and the two semifinal games on Tuesday could hardly have been more different. One was close, the other wasn’t nearly as close as the final score might imply. Both winners were on the NCAA Tournament bubble, or at least pretty close to it.
The first semifinal came right down to the end, though that did not appear likely in the early going. While Utah and Western Kentucky played a dandy, the Hilltoppers ran out to an 18-5 lead and were still up eight after the first quarter. After Utah tied it a little more than halfway through the second half, the rest of the game was played within an eight-point window. Utah scored the final six points of the game to get their biggest lead at the end, a 69-64 triumph that sends them into the championship game.
In the second semifinal, Penn State made Mississippi State pay for early turnovers and just couldn’t miss. They reeled off 24 unanswered points late in the first and into the second quarter and were never seriously threatened in a 75-60 win that wasn’t even that close.
The Nittany Lions were 11-20 from long range for the game, with Shep Garner becoming the program’s all-time leader in career three-pointers, and they shot 49 percent overall while holding Mississippi State below 40 percent. Tony Carr also continued his stellar play with 21 points and five assists.
The championship game will be a matchup of two teams that were in the conversation for the NCAA Tournament up until near the end. Within a couple of days of Selection Sunday, both teams appeared to be out of contention; Penn State had three wins over Ohio State but no others over lock NCAA Tournament teams, while Utah had wins over Missouri and UCLA (the latter a fellow bubble team) but also lost to a UNLV team whose RPI has three digits and played a non-conference with a strength of schedule in the 200s.
Both were also not helped by down years in their respective conferences, with the Utes perhaps a bit more affected since the Pac-12 has had a year to forget. None of the three NCAA Tournament teams from the conference won a game, and Utah is the only NIT team from the conference to get past the second round.
And both teams have a lot to play for on Thursday night.
Side Dishes
Coaching news naturally dominated the day, with the big news being Louisville hiring Chris Mack away from Xavier. Mack had a home at his alma mater, but the lure of Louisville with its pay, the challenge and his wife having family there was too much to pass up.
There was more coaching news in the ACC, as Pittsburgh hired Duke assistant Jeff Capel. While viewed by some as the successor to Mike Krzyzewski, the reality is that Coach K is probably not retiring anytime soon, and Capel found an ACC job too good to pass up. Capel has head coaching experience at VCU and Oklahoma to draw from.
Western Carolina has their new coach, and he comes from a great lineage and has had a good deal of success as an assistant. Mark Prosser, son of the late Skip Prosser, was hired to take over after spending six seasons as an assistant at Winthrop. He has also been part of NCAA Tournament teams at Bucknell and Wofford.
Tubby Smith is going back to school – sort of. High Point has hired Smith, who played at the school from 1969-73, in a move that was expected a couple of days earlier. Smith spent the past two seasons at Memphis, where he was not a good fit, but has had a good deal of success. High Point has yet to make the NCAA Tournament since moving to Division I. You can follow all of the coaching changes right here on Hoopville.
One head coach who won’t be going anywhere is Nebraska head coach Tim Miles. Athletic director Bill Moos said Miles earned the right to remain the program leader after this season, and will also talk with Miles about a contract extension. Despite a 13-5 Big Ten record, Nebraska did not make the NCAA Tournament, but could have a lot of this team back next year to make another run. A lot will depend on what happens with James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland, who the school announced have declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire agents.
The Maui Invitational announced its field for 2019, and as usual it is full of top teams. Joining host Chaminade will be Brigham Young, Dayton, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA and Virginia Tech.
Tonight’s Menu
Two tournaments are in action tonight as they wind down, and one could be all over.
- The CIT has semifinal action with UIC traveling to Liberty (7 p.m.) followed by Northern Colorado hosting Sam Houston State (9 p.m.), with both games televised on the CBS Sports Network.
- In the CBI championship, San Francisco travels to North Texas for game two of the best-of-three series (8:30 p.m., ESPNU) A San Francisco win will end it tonight, while a North Texas win will bring the two teams back in Denton on Friday night for a third and deciding game.
