NIT 2016: Valparaiso vs. George Washington Championship Schedule and Predictions

Rather than sitting at home alongside 64 teams ousted from the NCAA tournament, the Valparaiso Crusaders and George Washington Colonials will vie for the NIT title on Thursday night.

As the Syracuse Orange turn a contested NCAA tournament appearance into a Final Four arrival, two jilted teams will instead collide inside Madison Square Garden. 

Valparaiso, one of the top bubble teams excluded from March Madness, secured its championship spot with a 72-70 victory over the BYU Cougars on Tuesday night. Later in the evening, George Washington turned the tables on a usually stout San Diego State Aztecs defense in a 65-46 rout.

The Crusaders and Colonials get one last chance to show the selection committee what it missed. For a consolation prize, closing out a collegiate season by celebrating in New York City isn't too shabby.

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Thursday, March 31	Valparaiso vs. George Washington	7 p.m.	ESPN

Championship Preview

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

An NIT Cinderella, George Washington has pulled off two notable upsets by knocking off the Monmouth Hawks and San Diego State. The Colonials have already bested a No. 1 seed. They also combated a club with a top-10 adjusted defense.

Now they must defeat a No. 1 seed with the sixth-most efficient defense.

Anyone just tuning into NIT action will recall Valparaiso as the mid-major whose Big Dance invitation went to the more popular Syracuse. Of course, that doesn't mean the Crusaders would stand in the Final Four if they swapped places. Leading scorer Alec Peters highlighted the silver lining of their situation to the Associated Press' Mike Fitzpatrick following their semifinals success.

“We’re playing for an NIT championship, which in my mind is almost better than getting to the first round of the NCAA tournament and losing,” Peters said. “So we’re still playing deep into the basketball season. We have a chance of winning our last game, which not very many teams get to say.”

The squad's fruitful NIT run has also set a program record, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

Valparaiso and San Diego State both advanced far on defensive merit, but the Crusaders have displayed more balance than the eliminated Aztecs. The Horizon Conference representative has averaged 74.3 points during four NIT games, and they outlasted the fast-paced Cougars in a semifinals showdown.

While San Diego State lacked a dependable top scorer, Valpo wields Peters. By scoring 15 points on Tuesday, the junior snapped a seven-game streak of registering at least 20 points. Nevertheless, he's averaging 22.3 points per contest with a sterling 55.6 field-goal percentage in the NIT.

Joe Raymond/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

He didn't deliver his best performance against BYU, but four teammates chipped in double-digit point tallies. Rather than sustaining those collective contributions, Valparaiso will likely need another big display from Peters, as Keith Carter is the group's only other player to record at least 10 points per bout. 

George Washington suddenly transformed into a defensive juggernaut on Tuesday night. Before stifling SDSU to 46 points, it had yielded 69.3 points per contest while ranking No. 143 in adjusted defense. The No. 4 seed should thank its opponent's woeful three-point shooting. Just don't count on Valpo, which made 11 threes in its semifinals matchup, to extend the same gift.

The school can at least count on offensive production from Tyler Cavanaugh, who has tallied double-digit points in all 37 games. The junior has carried the program to the NIT final with three 20-10 outings and incredibly effective scoring:

Date	OPP	PTS	REBS	FGM-FGA	3PM-3PA
March 16	Hofstra	20	11	7-11	2-3
March 21	Monmouth	22	12	6-12	2-5
March 23	Florida	23	5	7-14	4-5
March 29	San Diego State	20	11	7-15	2-5

Expect Peters and Cavanaugh to keep shining at The Garden, but Valpo's elite defense will offer more resistance. BYU star Kyle Collinsworth amassed 20 points, but his teammates shot 34.6 percent in a narrow defeat. A similar outcome is in store for Cavanaugh's Colonials.

Go ahead and make jokes at its expense while Syracuse seeks a national title, but Valparaiso will still end its season on top—even if it's atop college basketball's second tier.

Prediction: Valparaiso 74, George Washington 71

Note: All advanced stats courtesy of KenPom.com.