NIT 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream Info and Championship Odds

College basketball fans across the country are clamoring for the Final Four to finally tip off. Leading up to all the action in Indianapolis, two teams will battle for the right to claim the NIT championship on Thursday night.

Madison Square Garden serves as the site as both Stanford and Miami hope to hoist the NIT title. The programs may come from different sides of the country in the Pac-12 and ACC, but Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins is very familiar with ACC opponents.

The former Duke assistant may have never faced a Jim Larranaga-coached Miami team during his time with the Blue Devils, but he'll get a chance on Thursday night—only this time, it will be for the right to claim his second NIT championship.

Here's a look at the full schedule and championship odds before the NIT final.

NIT Championship Information

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York

When: Thursday, April 2

Start Time: 9 p.m. ET

Spread: Stanford -2 (via OddsShark.com)

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

A printable NIT bracket is also available at NCAA.com.

Preview

Miami and Stanford come in with banged up teams, but each squad still has its best player intact. Those two stars are none other than Sheldon McClellan for the Hurricanes and the Cardinal's Chasson Randle.

Their stories are completely different, but both guards have led the way for their respective teams in the last month.

McClellan initially started his career with Texas before transferring over to Miami. In his first season with the Hurricanes, the junior leads the team with 14.4 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds. His stellar play has been a necessity recently with injuries to Angel Rodriguez and Tonye Jekiri.

Larranaga spoke about how his team has responded from adversity after the NIT semifinal.

"We've been like a M.A.S.H. unit," he said, per The Associated Press (via Fox Sports). "But somehow, some way, these guys find a way to stick together."

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Keeping chemistry at the end of a season is not easy—especially when a team misses out on the NCAA tournament. But for Stanford, that's been a simple task with Randle and Dawkins leading the way.

As a freshman, Randle led the way for the Cardinal in the NIT and ultimately won the championship. Now a senior, he has a chance to finish his career in similar fashion. A year after leading the team to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, Randle seems determined to win another postseason title.

Dawkins was the former all-time leading scorer for Duke before he was surpassed by J.J. Redick. He has now coached a player who leads the entire Stanford program in scoring, as Stanford's official account notes:

Looking to cap off a storied career, Randle has a chance to finish on a high note. Despite not getting back to the Big Dance, the senior can still watch confetti fall in Madison Square Garden. Regardless of the game, that's all that a college basketball player can ask for to cap off his or her career.

Expect the battle between Randle and McClellan to be the highlight of the game. But with so much on the line, it will come down to which team can outlast the other with its depth behind the stars.

Needless to say, the NIT title game will be much more than just an appetizer for the Final Four. It will serve as another highlight in a glorious week of college basketball before the season—and some careers—come to an end.

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