NIT 2016: Bracket, Schedule and Players to Watch in Semifinals from New York

With the 2016 NCAA tournament now solely populated by big-time schools from major conferences, college basketball fans still interested in rooting for the little guy can turn to the NIT semifinals, which feature four mid-major schools battling it out on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

All four of these teams would of course rather be playing in the Big Dance, but prime-time basketball in MSG isn't such a bad consolation prize.

Here are the schedule and odds for the 2016 NIT semifinals. The full bracket can be found at NCAA.com. Odds are courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Sunday, March 27 at 11 a.m. ET.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Over-under	TV	Live Stream
Tuesday, March 29	7 p.m.	No. 2 Brigham Young vs. No. 1 Valparaiso (-1.5)	146	ESPN	WatchESPN
Tuesday, March 29	9 p.m.	No. 4 George Washington vs. No. 2 San Diego State (-3)	129.5	ESPN	WatchESPN

Players to Watch

Of all the players to watch on Tuesday, BYU star Kyle Collinsworth might be the most compelling of them all. He's a 6'6" point guard who ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game, is a triple-double machine and a beloved senior playing his last games (or game) for the Cougars.

Despite fighting the flu, Collinsworth managed 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in BYU's 88-82 win over Creighton on Tuesday. It was a close contest for the Cougars, who beat up on Alabama-Birmingham and Virginia Tech in the first two rounds of the NIT with Collinsworth healthy and in top form.

BYU has also seen top-shelf performances from another senior guard in Chase Fischer.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

A confident shooter, Fischer knocked down 11 three-pointers in the first two games of the NIT but shot just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc against Creighton. His ability to reverse the trend will play a key part in BYU's bid for the championship game.

Valparaiso will try to match Collinsworth and Fischer's offensive prowess with star forward Alec Peters, who is averaging 24.7 points per game in the NIT.

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

He's the main reason why the Crusaders are the lone No. 1 seed remaining but isn't one to take all the glory. 

Peters thanked his teammates, including point guard Keith Carter, for helping him be so productive, per the Chicago Tribune's Michael Osipoff.

"We're winning, the ball's going in the basket for me. My teammates are setting me up in the right spot at the right time," he said. "Keith's giving me the ball in my shooting pocket. He's setting me up, he's doing everything a point guard can do for a guy like me who likes to bring scoring to the table."

Peters is playing better on offense than just about any other player in the nation, save for perhaps the sharpshooters on Villanova. But don't mind them—they are in a different tournament.

San Diego State boasts a number of fine players, all of whom are very committed to playing hard-nosed defense. Winston Shepard is perhaps the best defender of the bunch, using his long arms to smother players on the wing and turn away or alter shots at the rim.

He also put together the first triple-double in SDSU history in a first-round win over IPFW (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne), posting 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie thinks he might have a crack at the NBA:

Trey Kell is another Aztec player well worth keying in on. The sophomore guard has 34 points from the last two games on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. ESPN's Miles Simon has been appreciating Kell's fluid game for awhile: 

"

Been a Trey Kell fan since Nike basketball academies couple summers ago. Love his feel for the game

— Miles Simon (@milessimon) March 24, 2016"

SDSU head coach Steve Fisher preaches defense above all else, and he will no doubt have Shepard and company laser-focused on George Washington's star player, Tyler Cavanaugh. The 22-year-old junior has managed at least 20 points in three NIT contests, doing much of his damage with a smooth long-range shooting stroke.

A transfer from Wake Forest, Cavanaugh has clearly found a comfortable home with George Washington. He's one of the leaders of a squad with plenty of depth and a distinctly international flavor.

While Cavanaugh is a great player, the contributions of senior forward Kevin Larsen cannot be overlooked. The Copenhagen-born player is averaging 18 points, 8.3 boards and five assists per game in the NIT, raising his overall level of play when his team needs him most.

If they can't coax strong performances from Cavanaugh and Larsen, the Colonials will stand little chance against San Diego State's stifling defense.