NIT 2012: Complete Preview and Guide for Minnesota vs. Stanford

The NIT comes to a conclusion on Thursday night when the No. 6 seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers (23-14) will take on the No. 3 seed Stanford Cardinal (25-11) for the championship.

Both teams have defied the odds and made it this far, and it doesn’t look like either is ready to roll over in the final game of the season.

Keep reading to find a complete breakdown and preview of this exciting title game.

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

When: Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3

Key Injuries

Minnesota

F Oto Osenieks – QUESTIONABLE (Head)

F Ralph Sampson III – QUESTIONABLE (Knee)

F Trevor Mbakwe – OUT (ACL)

Stanford

G Gabriel Harris – OUT (Knee)

What's At Stake?

While the NIT isn’t the most glamorous tournament, a win is definitely appreciated by schools as they end their season on a high note. Seniors get to finish their collegiate careers as champions, and it builds momentum for the next year.

Minnesota and Stanford are both going to take this game extremely seriously as neither wants to go home as losers after battling this far.

Expect a bloodbath as both sides give it their all.

What They're Saying

Amelia Rayno of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune found that the Golden Gophers coach Tubby Smith is proud of his team and possibly a bit surprised they made it this far.

"

I’m just proud of their perseverance and their ability to overcome. It’s really just amazing, I’ve been really amazed at how we’ve stepped up and just played.

"

David Satriano at The New York Post reported that Stanford didn’t shoot well against UMass but still got into the championship game, as Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins said:

"

I thought they did a great job on a night where we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well, just found a way to win.

"

Most Important Player to Watch: Rodney Williams

The junior forward from Minneapolis is going to be hugely important if the Golden Gophers want a chance of winning this game.

His NIT performances have been huge thus far and he is averaging a solid 21 points per game through four rounds so far.

Key Matchup: Guard Play

Chasson Randle, Aaron Bright and Anthony Brown have been lighting it up for the Cardinal and will be a handful to contain.

Minnesota also has a potent scoring duo in its backcourt of Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins, two unrelated players who are able to fill it up.

Prediction

Minnesota 72, Stanford 71