NIT Bracket 2012: Massachusetts Will Continue Streaking to Tournament Title

Massachusetts won their second-straight road game in the 2012 NIT Tournament on Saturday against No. 1 Seton Hall.

The Minutemen defeated Mississippi State and Seton Hall—two teams that may have deserved to be in the field of 68. Massachusetts has won five of six games down the stretch, including victories over the Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Temple.

UMass will continue streaking all the way to an NIT Championship.

Chaz Williams is the Minutemen's leading scorer at 16.7 points per game. He went off for 20 points, six assists and seven rebounds against Big East's Seton Hall on Saturday. They showed good depth as well, as  there were six players that scored seven or more points. 

This team can do things on the offensive side of the ball.

Massachusetts is 23rd in the nation in scoring, 13th in rebounding and 17th in assists, with 76.8 points, 39.3 rebounds and 15.8 assists per game.

They share the wealth on the offensive end, rebound their misses and can capitalize on second-chance opportunities—if they can play enough defense, this is their tournament to win.

When I look at dangerous one-game elimination style teams, I look at the amount of three-pointers made as a team. The Minutemen have made 274 three-pointers this season; they make about eight per contest.

Any time you have multiple shooters on the floor, anything is possible. One, two or even three could be on fire at the same time.

Look at what VCU did last season from distance: Their three-point barrage was arguably the biggest reason they advanced to the Final Four.

Massachusetts has the players capable of taking over games. They are unselfish, score at a great rate and have multiple shooters from outside.

The Minutemen can ride this streak to an NIT Championship.