NIT 2016: Semifinals Bracket Predictions, Game Times and Top Players

It may not be the nation's premier tournament, but the four teams that have made it through to the 2016 NIT semifinals can at least look forward to playing basketball in one of the country's premier venues for hoops.

Madison Square Garden in New York City is the famous venue for the semifinal doubleheader, which features four mid-major programs.

No. 1 Valparaiso will take on No. 2 Brigham Young in the first game on March 29, followed by No. 4 George Washington against No. 2 San Diego State to cap the evening.

The winners will go on to play in the NIT championship game on March 31, so it all serves as a nice bit of stopgap action for college basketball fans who need something to bridge the gap between the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight and Final Four.

Here's the schedule and predictions for the 2016 NIT semifinals. The full bracket can be found at NCAA.com.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Live Stream	Prediction
March 29	7 p.m.	No. 1 Valparaiso vs. No. 2 BYU	ESPN	WatchESPN	Valparaiso 78-70
March 29	9 p.m.	No. 4 George Washington vs. No. 2 SDSU	ESPN	WatchESPN	SDSU 71-60

Top Player for Each Team

Alec Peters, F, Valparaiso

Simply put, Alec Peters gets buckets. Valparaiso's star forward leads the team in scoring this year with 18.5 points per game—well ahead of the squad's No. 2 scorer, senior guard Keith Carter (10.3 PPG). He's riding a streak of seven games with at least 20 points, despite the fact he's nearing the end of a long season and is playing nearly every minute of every game.

In three NIT contests, Peters is shooting 61 percent from the floor. Like any good 6'9", 230-pound stalwart, he's capable of bringing down a handful of rebounds every night. 

WGEM's Ben Marth feels Peters deserves more recognition:

ESPN's Adam Amin noted Peters was inevitable at times in Valparaiso's 60-44 win over Saint Mary's in the quarterfinals:

The Crusaders have won each of their NIT games by at least 11 points, so even if Peters comes back down to earth, they would still appear to have a good shot at winning. Unfortunately for BYU, that doesn't seem likely to happen. Valparaiso should win on Tuesday, and Peters will surely get a good chunk of the points.

Winston Shepard, F, SDSU

Kent Horner/Getty Images

Sophomore forward Malik Pope may be the only Aztec on CBS Sports' list of 2016 NBA draft prospects, but right now, you can call Winston Shepard the best player on San Diego State. The senior forward made headlines in the first round of the NIT by recording the first triple-double in SDSU history with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a 79-55 win over IPFW. 

A nice second-half scoring binge from Shepard keyed SDSU's 72-56 win over Georgia Tech in the NIT quarterfinals. His impact, as well as that of teammate Trey Kell, was not lost on Aztecs head coach Steve Fisher.

David Becker/Associated Press

"Trey got us going to start," Fisher said, per NBC 7 San Diego's Derek Togerson. "Winston got us going in the second half, and we guarded. And that's what we have to do. Our goal is to go to New York and win two games."

As the aforementioned triple-double suggests, Shepard is capable of doing a little bit of everything for the Aztecs. His length clogs up lanes on defense and helps him net a steal or two every night. He can defend at the rim, use long strides to quickly get to the hoop and has turned into a pretty reliable free-throw shooter, making 12 of his 14 attempts from the charity stripe in the NIT. 

If San Diego State wins the NIT, or at least takes down George Washington on Tuesday, Shepard's myriad contributions will likely have made it possible.

Kyle Collinsworth, G, BYU

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

From one do-it-all player to another. Shepard is a great player, but his box score-stuffing exploits pale in comparison to those of BYU's Kyle Collinsworth. The senior guard has made triple-doubles a regular occurrence in Provo, Utah, per KSL's Greg Wrubell: 

Collinsworth notched a triple-double in the first round of the NIT against Alabama-Birmingham, racking up 19 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The numbers might not stack up, but his performance Tuesday night against Creighton in the NIT quarterfinals was perhaps even more impressive.

Despite battling the flu, Collinsworth played 20 minutes and put up 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in an 88-82 win over the fourth-seeded Bluejays. BYUtv's Jarom Jordan caught Collinsworth soaking up his final night out at the Marriott Center: 

If BYU is to notch a minor upset over top-seeded Valpo on March 29, Collinsworth will have to be at full strength and playing at the peak of his lofty capabilities.

Tyler Cavanaugh, F, George Washington

For those of you upset that Monmouth and its famously theatrical bench is no longer playing college basketball, you can blame Tyler Cavanaugh. The lanky forward scored 22 points and snagged 12 rebounds in George Washington's comfortable 87-71 second-round win over the Hawks.

A sharpshooter with some impressive size, Cavanaugh is hitting 42.4 percent of his three-pointers this year while knocking down 82.1 percent of his free throws. In the quarterfinals against Florida, Cavanaugh showed off the clutch gene by scoring 18 of his 23 points in the second half to spark an 82-77 Colonials victory.

His pivotal three-pointer in the final minute of the game helped seal the win for George Washington, per Atlantic 10 MBB: 

Every NIT team deep down wishes it was playing in the Big Dance, but Cavanaugh says his team has moved on and is focused on winning the NIT.

"We were definitely disappointed [failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament], but we blew some opportunities,” Cavanaugh said, per the Washington Post's Steven Goff. “So we regrouped as a team, and this is a great opportunity. ... We’ve been re-energized, and now we have a chance to win a championship.”

Cavanaugh's inside-outside game could give the Aztecs fits, but they have the athleticism and defensive chops to overcome a big game from the accurate George Washington forward.