NIT 2012 Bracket: Role Players Who Must Step Up for Teams to Claim Championship

Washington and Massachusetts picked up victories last night to punch their tickets to Madison Square Garden. Two more teams will join them on Wednesday night as the NIT begins to wind toward its conclusion.

Let's take a look at three role players who need to step up over the tournament's final few games to lead their teams to a title. For a look at how the bracket played out, visit the official NCAA web site.

Freddie Riley (UMass)

Massachusetts has plenty of offensive weapons, which often leads to Riley getting lost in the shuffle. A recent shooting slump hasn't helped the junior guard. He hasn't played more than 13 minutes in the tournament after starting earlier in the year.

If the Minutemen want to run the table, however, they will need Riley to rediscover his form from earlier in the season. He helps stretch the defense by knocking down outside shots and takes some of the pressure off Chaz Williams.

Every shooter goes through slumps, but UMass needs Riley to break out of his quickly. He's too important to keep producing low point totals.

Aziz N'Diaye (Washington)

The Huskies' top four scorers are guards. While that often poses matchup problems for their opponents, they won't be able to cut down the nets without some type of interior production. N'Diaye is the player most likely to provide it.

He's averaging eight points and seven rebounds, but his defensive production has dipped since earlier in the season. The senior registered six games with multiple blocks early on. Since the calendar flipped to 2012, however, he has just one such game.

N'Diaye doesn't have to score a boatload of points; the guards have that aspect under control. So if he can chip in a couple buckets from offensive rebounds and play solid defense, Washington will be in much better shape.

Josh Huestis (Stanford)

Huestis has made some nice strides in his second season at Stanford. His numbers are up across the board thanks to increased responsibility, but his development will need to continue straight through the final couple games to help Stanford win the title.

The Cardinal have a tricky test against Nevada tonight for a chance to play at the Garden. The Wolf Pack lack depth on the interior, so the onus will be on Huestis and his fellow forwards to get their starters in foul trouble early to create an advantage down low.

Look for Huestis to make the hustle plays that don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, but help Stanford win nonetheless.