NIT Tournament 2015: Updated Bracket and Schedule for Round 2 Contests

March's madness isn't confined to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. With the second round underway, the NIT has experienced some wacky results outside the limelight.

The NIT's opening round offered something never seen in the headlining tournament: The first-seeded Colorado State Rams, which tied the Murray State Racers for a field-high 27 regular-season wins, lost its first game to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

After pulling off the upset, the Jackrabbits began Round 2 by losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday night. Following an early-morning showdown between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Miami Hurricanes, six matchups remain before the pool is carved down to eight.

NCAA.com provides a look at the updated bracket entering the weekend. Here is the schedule for all remaining second-round clashes:

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
3/22	11 a.m.	(5) George Washington vs. (1) Temple	ESPN
3/22	7:30 p.m.	(5) Arizona State vs. (1) Richmond	ESPNU
3/22	9:30 p.m.	(3) Rhode Island at (2) Stanford	ESPNU
3/23	7 p.m.	(3) Louisiana Tech at (2) Texas A&M	ESPN
3/23	8 p.m.	(1) Old Dominion vs. (4) Illinois State	ESPNU
3/23	9 p.m.	(3) Murray State at (2) Tulsa	ESPN

Murray State vs. Tulsa

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

In addition to getting left off the Big Dance card, Murray State settled for a No. 3 seed in the consolation bracket. The overlooked Ohio Valley program exacted revenge on UTEP, earning an 81-66 victory during the opening round.

The aptly named Racers rank No. 16 in KenPom.com's adjusted offense and No. 77 in tempo. Behind sophomore Cameron Payne—the team's leading scorer with 20.1 points per game—they rank No. 11 in the NCAA with 79.1 points per contest.

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis admired Payne and head coach Steve Prohm after the convincing victory:

Now Murray State faces No. 2 Tulsa, which slipped past William and Mary behind a career-high 21 points from Marquel Curtis. Tulsa's strength lies on the opposite end, placing No. 15 in KenPom.com's adjusted defense rating.

The Golden Hurricane have never registered more than 78 points in a single game this season, which means their defense must work overtime to stifle the Racers below their average offensive benchmark.

After beginning the season 2-4, Murray State has suffered just one loss—a one-point defeat against OVC champion Belmont. Tulsa can't replicate the blueprint from March 7's 88-87 shootout, so look for the Racers to keep rolling.

Rhode Island vs. Stanford

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Once again, dominant defense meets stellar offense when Rhode Island and Stanford collide. Per KenPom.com, the Rams rank No. 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency, while the Cardinal chime in at No. 28 in offensive prowess.

Rhode Island's strength is stronger, but its weakness is also weaker. A poor offensive mark has the lower seed six spots below its adversary in KenPom.com's overall team ratings. 

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF	TEAM RTG
Rhode Island	190	10	55
Stanford	29	105	47

Once a probable NCAA tournament participant, Stanford unraveled—losing eight of its final 13 contests. Now the Pac-12 club meets a Rhode Island squad whose Atlantic 10 hopes were thwarted by Dayton.

During Stanford's 77-64 victory over UC Davis, sophomore Marcus Allen played the unlikely hero. The guard, who averages 6.1 points per game, netted a career-high 22 points.

"I was ready to play from the start," Allen told The Associated Press (via USA Today). "I want to win this tournament."

His hot hand led the Cardinal's highest scoring outburst since Jan. 31. Against Rhode Island's swarming defense, the Pac-12 crew will take points anywhere it can locate them. The Rams, meanwhile, foiled the earlier-established offense vs. defense narrative by dropping 88 on Iowa—their highest output since their season opener.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Beware those results, as a role player won't shoot 10-of-12 again, while Iona fares No. 236 with a 105.7 adjusted defensive rating on KenPom.com. Phew—the convenient storyline still works for the closely contested clash.