NIT Tournament 2016: Updated Bracket and Schedule for Semifinal Matchups
Unlike the bigger NCAA tournament, which features four No. 1 seeds, the thrilling NIT has just one top seed left standing.
The status goes to Alec Peters and the Valparaiso Crusaders, who continue to make the selection committee for the Big Dance look questionable at best by blowing through the bracket and easily looking like the favorite as the semifinals approach.
Peters is a strong example of what it takes to win in the unpredictable NIT, with teams needing star performances from notable players to end the season on a high note.
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Here's a look at everything to know about the semifinals set to occur at Madison Square Garden in New York, as well as some of the top players to watch.
NIT Bracket and Schedule
| Mar. 29 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | No. 1 Valparaiso vs. No. 2 BYU |
| Mar. 29 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | No. 4 George Washington vs. No. 2 San Diego State |
Updated bracket can be found here, courtesy of NCAA.com. Full schedule and broadcast information are courtesy of NESN.com.
Notable Players to Watch
Alec Peters, Valparaiso
Peters gets a mention first for good reason.
The Crusaders not only grabbed a top seed thanks to his leadership, but they stand 49th in ESPN's RPI rankings and 31st overall at KenPom.com with an adjusted defensive efficiency rank of seventh.
Peters gets most of the credit. The junior averages 18.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 45 percent from long range.
He's done nothing short of back up these numbers with incredible play over the first three games of the tournament, posting 28, 26 and 20 points with gaudy rebound numbers to boot. Not that Peters doesn't spread the credit around, as he told Michael Osipoff of the Chicago Tribune:
"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. 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.
"
Spread the praise as he might, Peters is the biggest reason no team has come close to touching the Crusaders yet.
Next up is a dance with BYU, a team featuring plenty of firepower. Rest assured Peters won't blink.
Chase Fischer, BYU
BYU doesn't make the cut in the ESPN RPI top 50, but it does boast a top-50 adjusted offensive efficiency in large part thanks to leading scorer Chase Fischer.
Fischer, a senior hailing from West Virginia, paces the Cougars at 18.3 points per game with averages north of two in rebounds and assists, too. Fischer does his most important damage from deep, though, where he hits on 37 percent of his attempts.
Paired with Nick Emery, the Cougars can run with almost any team, as CougarStats illustrated:
Fischer showed what he can do over the first two games of the bracket. He posted 27 points against No. 7 UAB in a blowout, going 7-of-16 from deep. He followed with 24 points on a 4-of-9 mark from long range in an 80-77 escape of No. 3 Virginia Tech.
While things don't look great going into the showdown with Peters and Co., it's a situation in which Fischer can better cement his legacy as the long-rang gunslinger who upset a No. 1 to make the championship round.
Don't put it past him.
Tyler Cavanaugh, George Washington
Few expected George Washington, 65th in RPI and a 144th in adjusted defensive efficiency, to make it to New York.
Yet here the Colonials are on the back of Tyler Cavanaugh, who made it clear before the tournament his team felt snubbed and that it wanted to go out and win a title.
"We're excited," Cavanaugh said, according to Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com. "We were anticipating being in the NIT, getting our opponent and going from there. You've just gotta regroup and refocus. It's a chance to win a championship."
The junior sets the tone and pace for the Colonials, averaging 16.8 points and 7.5 boards per game, not only shooting 51 percent from the floor but stretching it wide open with 42 percent shooting from long range.
Cavanaugh has posted 20 or more points in all three games thus far with double-digit rebounds in two of them. A double-double machine, George Washington's leader now has to find a way to shake free of San Diego State's second slotting in adjusted defensive efficiency and pull off an upset.
Trey Kell, San Diego State
It's hard to pick just one player to focus on when it comes to San Diego State.
The Aztecs use an incredible team effort to boast one of the nation's best defenses. Trey Kell might lead the way in scoring at 12.7 points per game, but Winston Shepard leads the way in assists (3.1) and rebounds (6.5), while Jeremy Hemsley does a little bit of everything.
Loop back to Kell, though, a sophomore who not only leads the team in scoring but shoots a silly 39 percent from long range while only falling to second in average minutes at 28.5.
A workhorse, the sophomore has turned it on when it matters most, going for 16 or more points in each of the team's last two games while totaling a 12-of-24 mark from deep.
Again, the Aztecs use a more team-based approach to stake their claim as the biggest snub of all. But in the clutch when shooting comes into play, the team turns to one man.
It's Kell, and he hasn't let the Aztecs down so far.
Stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Advanced metrics courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com.
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