NIT 2013: Predicting Winners in Weekend's Games

The NIT tournament has seen a huge amount of major upsets considering the size of the field. With just 32 teams competing, we've already seen a No. 1 seed (Kentucky) and two No. 2 seeds (UMass and Tennessee) fall in the first round.

The action Saturday and Sunday will put two more No. 1 seeds to the test in second-round games.

Here are my predictions for the outcomes of those games.

No. 4 Stanford Cardinal at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

The Tide blew Northeastern away in their first-round game, 62-43. The one constant with Alabama this month has been defense. They have played solid basketball throughout March, with all three of their losses coming to tournament teams.

Stanford barely got by Stephen F. Austin 58-57, and they face an even tougher battle playing the Tide at home.

Bama's Trevor Releford had a slow scoring night against Northeastern, but his defense was big. He had five steals in the contest, and he averages two per game. His perimeter defense will be key against Stanford.

The Cardinal depend heavily on the three-point shot. They take just over 19 per game, but when the long-distance shots aren't falling, their offense struggles. They are shooting just 30 percent from beyond the arc in losses.

Bama has defended against the three well this season, holding opponents to just 30.2 percent shooting from deep.

This team has to feel like they should have been in the NCAA tournament, and they will defeat Stanford to move on to the final eight.

No. 5 St. John's Red Storm at No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are a difficult team to figure out. The same team that handed the Duke Blue Devils a loss on Feb. 28, subsequently lost three of their next four games to kill any chance of reaching the NCAA tournament.

They knocked off Norfolk State 67-56 in the first round, but defeating St. John's will be a tougher task.

The Red Storm are an athletic bunch, but they are a horrible outside shooting team. They make just under 28 percent of their threes and must get offense from their defense to be effective.

D'Angelo Harrison's ability to get to the rim is what makes them somewhat effective offensively. He's averaging 17.8 points per game this season. 

Virginia's challenge in this game will be to rebound effectively. They aren't especially strong in this area, but it will be imperative to slow the pace of the game.

St. John's will make it interesting, but their inability to make shots will kill them, and the Cavaliers will advance.

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