NIT 2015: Final Quarterfinals Scores, Updated Bracket and Semifinals Schedule

The 2015 NIT quarterfinals kicked off with the Miami Hurricanes and Stanford Cardinal advancing through for the right to play in Madison Square Garden. Their games were decided by a total of five points, so Wednesday's action had a lot to live up to.

Murray State sought to continue proving the NCAA tournament selection committee wrong against Old Dominion after a 16-0 run through the Ohio Valley Conference didn't result in a Big Dance bid.

Temple and Louisiana Tech were also set to meet to determine the final NIT semifinalist. Continue reading for recaps to both of Wednesday's games and a look ahead to the semifinals.

An updated NIT bracket is available through CBS Sports. 

Matchup	Result
No. 1 Old Dominion vs. No. 3 Murray State	72-69, Old Dominion
No. 1 Temple vs. No. 3 Louisiana Tech	77-59, Temple

Temple 77, Louisiana Tech 59

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Quenton DeCosey had a double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds), Jesse Morgan added 17 points and Will Cummings had 15 as Temple earned a dominant win over Louisiana Tech to advance to the NIT semifinal.

The Owls shot 49.1 percent from the field overall and made half their three-point attempts. DeCosey and Cummings each knocked down three from deep, and their three-guard lineup managed to dominate the boards in a game that never felt all that close.

Temple led or was tied for the entire contest, spent most of its evening ahead double figures and Fran Dunphy's team seemed to be peaking as the game was drawing to a close. 

"I think I made a statement that we're going to win the NIT, and that's kind of where I've been focused," Cummings told reporters. "I haven't gone into any game thinking that it's going to be my last."

Temple has won its three NIT games by a combined 37 points and will face Miami when the tournament reconvenes at Madison Square Garden. The school will be looking for its third NIT championship, which would tie it with Dayton, Minnesota and Michigan for the third-most in history. 

“Our job is to keep winning basketball games,” Cummings told reporters, speaking of Temple's NCAA Tournament snub. “We’re still a little bitter about it. But we want everyone else to make those arguments. All we want to do is go out and play good basketball.”

If their last three games are any indication, Temple should continue proving itself against a Miami team that needed a torrid comeback Tuesday to topple Richmond. 

Old Dominion 72, Murray State 69

Jason Hirschfeld/Associated Press

The Racers' high-octane offense was stymied for the most part until a late push that culminated in Jeffery Moss hitting a game-tying three-pointer with mere seconds left.

Old Dominion had late-game heroics of its own planned for the home crowd, though. Monarchs star Trey Freeman banked in his first three-pointer of the game just before the buzzer to secure the huge win.

SportsCenter has the highlight of Freeman's game-winner:

DailyPress.com's Sonny Dearth hinted at how Freeman was playing banged-up yet still managed to save his best for last:

A virtuoso performance from Freeman carried ODU to victory and into the NIT semis. Freeman had a game-high 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting, and he added three boards and four assists.

ODUBlitz.com's Harry Minium highlighted how Freeman did most of his damage early:

Forward Jonathan Arledge and guard Jordan Baker chipped in 12 and 11 points for Old Dominion, respectively, to take pressure off Freeman down the stretch. It only helped set the stage for the dramatic final shot.

Despite having home-court advantage in Norfolk, many whistles went against Old Dominion, as Murray State shot 35 free throws to the Monarchs' 14. It was a wonder ODU overcame such a disparity, turned it over 15 times and still managed to emerge victorious.

David Teel of the Daily Press highlighted how much of a rally Murray State staged:

Cameron Payne is only a sophomore, so the Racers can count on his return after he led his side with 23 points and six assists. What Murray State has to be concerned with is making up for senior Jarvis Williams' departure. Williams closed his career out well Wednesday with 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Monarchs move on to battle with Stanford for a spot in the NIT title game, which promises to be a challenge.

Stanford returns stars such as Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle from last year's squad that went to the Sweet 16. That portion of the NCAA tournament will play out beginning Thursday, likely providing the Cardinal's leaders with more fuel to play hard in the NIT.

But Old Dominion shouldn't be counted out. Coach Jeff Jones' squad won with Freeman playing just 12 minutes against Illinois State. It should be a gritty, close contest, but only one deserving finalist can emerge, and Stanford will be the favorite.