NIT 2012: Stanford Cardinal Down Minnesota Golden Gophers in NIT Final

The Stanford Cardinal are the champions of the 2012 NIT!

Not quite the same ring as the one that Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville or Ohio State will hear on Monday night, but not too shabby nonetheless.

Johnny Dawkins' squad capped its season with an emphatic 75-51 win over Minnesota at Madison Square Garden on Thursday to secure the NIT title and push its overall record to 26-11.

Cardinal guards Aaron Bright, who earned most outstanding player honors, and Chasson Randle led all scorers with 15 points each and combined for seven of the team's 11 assists (the other four of which were credited to Jarrett Mann). The Cardinal expanded their six-point halftime lead with a hot-shooting second half to finish the game hitting 50 percent from the field, while limiting the Golden Gophers to a 36.5 percent efficiency.

Dawkins' defensive schemes also contributed significantly to Minnesota's 21 turnovers and a 37-29 advantage on the boards.

Rodney Williams got off to his typically hot start, with 12 points in the first half, but failed to register a single score after the break before fouling out.

Williams was hardly the only culprit for Minnesota's defeat. Freshman guard Andre Hollins saw his streak of eight straight double-figure scoring games come to a close, as he managed more turnovers (five) and fouls (five) than points (four).

In any case, Stanford will head back west with a trophy-case companion for their NIT title from 1991.

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