NIT 2015: Tuesday's Round 1 Scores, Updated Bracket and Wednesday Schedule

The NIT is a strange tournament. It's comprised of both teams that are disappointed they were snubbed by the NCAA tournament and mid-major schools eager to prove they can play alongside their major conference brethren. That often leads to some interesting results.

This year's tournament is unlikely to be any different. Let's take a look at Tuesday's results from the NIT. 

Scores 

Matchup	Result
(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) George Washington	George Washington wins, 60-54
(2) Miami vs. (7) North Carolina Central	Miami wins, 75-71
(3) Rhode Island vs. (6) Iona	Rhode Island wins, 88-75
(3) Louisiana Tech vs. (6) Central Michigan	Louisiana Tech wins, 89-79
(2) Tulsa vs. (7) William & Mary	Tulsa wins, 70-67
(3) Illinois vs. (6) Alabama	Alabama wins, 79-58
(6) UTEP vs. (3) Murray St	Murray State wins, 81-66
(7) Montana at (2) Texas A&M	Texas A&M wins, 81-64
(7) UC Davis at (2) Stanford	Stanford wins, 77-64

CBSSports.com has the updated NIT bracket. 

Schedule

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	Watch
7 p.m.	(8) Bucknell at (1) Temple	ESPN3
7 p.m.	(5) Arizona St at (4) Connecticut	ESPN2
7:15 p.m.	(8) Charleston Southern at (1) Old Dominion	ESPN3
7:15 p.m.	(8) St. Francis BRK at (1) Richmond	ESPN3
8 p.m.	(5) Green Bay at (4) Illinois St	ESPNU
9 p.m.	(5) Vanderbilt at (4) Saint Mary's	ESPN2
10 p.m.	(8) South Dakota St at (1) Colorado St	ESPNU

George Washington Knocks Off Pittsburgh, 60-54

On a night when George Washington shot just 35.4 percent from the field, Kethan Savage's 17 points off the bench were vital for the Colonials as they knocked off offensively challenged Pittsburgh.

Savage and Patricio Garino spoke to Ben Raby of the Washington Capitals Radio Network after the game:

That's what the NIT offers teams, a second chance to right some wrongs from the season.

Pittsburgh wasn't righting many wrongs on this night, however. The Panthers shot just 2-of-11 from beyond the arc and a disappointing 8-of-18 from the free-throw line, leaving the points they needed to win this game on the court. George Washington was even worse from the line, finishing 14-of-28, though it didn't come back to bite the Colonials in the end.

George Washington will face the winner of the Temple vs. Bucknell matchup.

Miami Sneaks Past North Carolina Central, 75-71

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Manu Lecomte was the hero for Miami coming off the bench, leading the Hurricanes with 18 points (10 of them from the free-throw line) as the Hurricanes survived a stiff challenge from North Carolina Central.

Sheldon McClellan (15 points), Tonye Jekiri (11 points, six rebounds, two blocks) and Deandre Burnett (10 points) also gave the Hurricanes double-digit points.

That spoiled an excellent evening from Jordan Parks, who led the Eagles with 25 points and seven rebounds. Nimrod Hilliard (19 points, five assists) was also excellent for North Carolina Central, which gave a valiant effort but couldn't quite surpass the ACC-tested Hurricanes.

Miami will face Alabama in the NIT's second round after the Crimson Tide dismantled Illinois in their opener.

Louisiana Tech's Offense Explodes as Bulldogs Beat Central Michigan, 89-79

Led by big nights from Raheem Appleby (24 points, six rebounds), Jacobi Boykins (18 points) and Kenneth Smith (eight points, eight rebounds, 13 assists), Louisiana Tech edged past a tough Central Michigan squad.

The dangerous guard trio of Chris Fowler (21 points, six rebounds, six assists), Braylon Rayson (20 points, eight rebounds) and Rayshawn Simmons (18 points) did all it could to advance the Chippewas, but Louisiana Tech always seemed to have an answer.

Louisiana Tech awaits the winner of the Georgia versus Vermont matchup.

Big First Half Sparks Rhode Island Past Iona, 88-75

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Rhode Island raced out to a 51-39 lead in the first half and never looked back, knocking Iona out of the NIT.

Biggie Minnis led Rhode Island with 13 points, Jarvis Garrett notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists and Hassan Martin and Earl Watson dominated on the boards, pulling down 11 rebounds apiece.

A.J. English (28 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and David Laury (26 points, 17 rebounds) played heroically for Iona, but it wasn't enough to knock off Rhode Island.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post thinks the Gaels' loss reflected more than just their own team:

Rhode Island will now face Stanford after the Cardinal managed to top UC Davis with a second-half surge on Tuesday.

Tulsa Weathers Rally to Beat William & Mary, 70-67

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Leading by as many as 21 points in the second half, one could tell Tulsa had its mind on the next stage of the NIT as William & Mary roared back to make this game more of a nail-biter than expected.

Thankfully for Golden Hurricane fans, their team did enough earlier on to afford a letdown.

Harold R. Kuntz of KOTV in Nashville highlighted the push William & Mary made to make matters interesting:

Part of the Tribe's problem was an inconsistent performance from star guard Marcus Thornton. Although he helped spark the late comeback and had a game-high 23 points, Thornton needed 24 shots to reach that total.

Tulsa's Marquel Curtis averaged less than seven points per contest before pouring in 21 to help the victors advance. They're in line to take on a difficult Murray State squad that could have well been in the NCAA tournament.

The Golden Hurricane can't afford to slack as they did late in Tuesday's close call if they're meant to have a shot at getting past the Racers.

Alabama Pounces on Illinois Early to Advance, 79-58

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

At least for one NIT game, the decision to fire head coach Anthony Grant appears to be a sound one for the Crimson Tide.

Levi Randolph led a first-half flurry that saw Alabama light up the Fighting Illini to the tune of 46 points to Illinois' meager 22. The game was over before the final 20 minutes began to tick off the clock.

In addition to putting up 20 points to lead all scorers, Randolph dished out four assists and pulled down seven boards. Jim Dunaway of JOX Roundtable weighed in on the Crimson Tide's offensive explosion:

Alabama interim coach John Brannen reflected on Grant's departure afterward.

"We were playing for more than just ourselves tonight," said Brannen, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "This is coach Grant's program as I've mentioned many times. He's asked us to carry it on in terms of going forward, and we're going to do that to the best of our abilities." 

The Crimson Tide executed exceptionally well on offense, shooting 59.6 percent from the field and also getting 19 points out of Rodney Cooper.

Next up for Alabama is a date with Miami, which just squeaked past North Carolina Central by four points to get through to the next stage.

Murray State Unleashes Big Second Half, Pulls Away from UTEP, 81-66

Stephen Lance Dennee/Associated Press

Despite losing just five games all season long, the Racers weren't allowed into the Big Dance after losing their conference tournament final.

It appeared Murray State was keen on taking out some of that frustration on UTEP Tuesday. The Racers held the Miners to just 34.5 percent shooting and got monster games out of center Jarvis Williams (25 points, 14 rebounds) and guard T.J. Sapp (21 points).

CBS Sports' Seth Davis felt a certain degree of justice was exacted at the CFSB Center in Murray:

On deck for the Racers is Tulsa, which struggled toward the end of its game but held on for a narrow victory against William & Mary. This Murray State bunch is playing inspired basketball and could very well win the NIT.

Favored Texas A&M Takes Care of Business vs. Montana, 81-64

Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

Thanks to 25 points from Jalen Jones and a strong all-around game from Jordan Green that featured 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, the Aggies got through this phase of the NIT with ease.

Jones took to Twitter following the win, expressing appreciation to still be playing in the postseason:

Montana stayed in touch, thanks to tremendous outside shooting from guards Brandon Gfeller and Jordan Gregory, who combined to drain 11 of 22 three-point attempts. That still wasn't enough for the Grizzlies to avoid being blown out.

Second-seeded Texas A&M will encounter a high-octane Louisiana Tech offense that poured in 89 in its most recent victory over Central Michigan. Based on the level Jones and Green played at on Tuesday, the next Aggies contest could be a thrilling shootout.

Stanford Soars Past UC Davis, 77-64 

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

As one who follows the Cardinal would expect, floor general Chasson Randle shined for Stanford in the double-digit victory, but it was Marcus Allen who really stepped up with a career-best 22 points.

Stanford Men's Hoops highlighted the standout perimeter performers: 

But one sensational display from UC Davis' Corey Hawkins can't be overlooked. Doing all he could to keep the Aggies in the game, Hawkins heated up for a game-high 34 points—the only UC Davis player to score in double figures.

Hawkins entered averaging over 20 points per contest, so it wasn't too much of a surprise to see him play with such urgency and close out his collegiate career in style.

As for the team moving on in the NIT, this will feel a bit underwhelming to players like Randle who went to the Sweet 16 last year. However, the Cardinal appeared to be in fine form on Tuesday and will shift their focus to their next opponent in Rhode Island.