NIT Tournament 2015: Updated Bracket and Schedule as Round 2 Continues

The madness began in the NIT tournament before it crept to the Big Dance to ruin Villanova's dreams.

Eighth-seeded South Dakota State took down 27-win and No. 1 Colorado State in the first round of the NIT. In a tournament featuring many teams capable of putting up a fight in the Big Dance, more upsets are a sure thing.

Round 2 is a few games into the books with no upsets yet. It leaves a lingering suspicion more are on the way, though, as Sunday and Monday night's slates feature intriguing matchups as all teams fight for the right to advance to Madison Square Garden.

Don't miss what appears to be anything but a secondary tournament this year.

NIT Round 2 Schedule 

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

Printable NIT bracket is also available on NCAA.com. 

Top Remaining Round 2 Matchups 

No. 3 Rhode Island vs. No. 2 Stanford

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Life isn't easy for almost-there teams in either the Atlantic 10 or Pac-12. 

The Rhode Island Rams lost just nine games on the season and rank 65th in ESPN's RPI rankings, not enough to make the Big Dance. The Rams took the frustration out on Iona to start the NIT, winning 88-75.

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF
Rhode Island	190	10
Stanford	29	105

Stanford struggled to a .500 mark in conference play, negating a 61st rank in RPI. Like the Rams, the Cardinal took care of business to advance, defeating UC Davis in Round 1.

Call it a blessing in disguise too, as the matchup creates a battle of contrasting styles, which the efficiency ranks from KenPom.com showcase.

Stanford encounters few issues scoring at will, averaging 72.3 points per game. 

The scoring centers around senior Chasson Randle, who averages 18.9 points, with Anthony Brown right behind at 14.6.

Both figure to have issues against the lengthy, athletic Rams defense, though. It's the same defense guilty of crafting upsets against ranked opposition such as Nebraska and close calls against top-tier programs such as VCU and Dayton.

Look for Rhode Island to fluster Stanford, a team with its roughest losses against athletic defenses capable of staying disciplined and rebounding the ball.

Prediction: Rhode Island 68, Stanford 65

No. 3 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 2 Texas A&M

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A 68th rank in RPI wasn't enough for the Texas A&M Aggies to sneak into the tournament. No complaints, though—Conference USA doomed the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, a team ranked eight spots higher in RPI.

Louisiana Tech looks strong right now, dispatching of Central Michigan by 10 points in the opening round after dropping 89, even bigger output than usual for a team ranking among the top 50 in scoring at 72.7 points per game.

If there's a team capable of stopping the Bulldogs in their tracks, though, it would be an angry Aggies squad. KenPom.com rankings put the Aggies with a serious advantage in two key areas:

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF
Louisiana Tech	109	68
Texas A&M	81	39

One doesn't need advanced metrics to see the writing on the wall, though. The Aggies took out their frustration on Montana in the opening round, cruising to an 81-65 victory behind a game-high 25 points from Jalen Jones.

"We didn't get into the tournament that we wanted to, but we weren't going to let that bother us," Jones said, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "We're in this tournament, why not win it?"

The Aggies might be without leading scorer Danuel House, but it appears the void just leaves room for others to step up and carry the show. Louisiana Tech scores well, but the athleticism and efficiency on both ends of the court by the Aggies will decide the contest.

Prediction: Texas A&M 75, Louisiana Tech 70

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.