NIT Tournament 2017: Updated Bracket, Schedule and Quarterfinal Players to Watch
Madison Square Garden awaits Wednesday's participants in the 2017 NIT men's basketball bracket.
Fourth-seeded TCU and sixth-seeded Georgia Tech have already punched tickets to the historic venue for a place in the semifinals. The Tuesday action fit right in with March Madness as a whole, with emotional performances and timely big plays leading the way.
Nothing seemed capable of stopping the Horned Frogs going into Tuesday, not after moving past fifth-seeded Fresno State, 66-59, and upsetting top-seeded Iowa in overtime, 94-92. Indeed, Kenrich Williams put up a triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in the 86-68 win over sixth-seeded Richmond.
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Sixth-seeded Georgia Tech upending fifth-seeded Ole Miss was more unexpected considering it was the Rebels who took down top-seeded Syracuse. Yet the Yellow Jackets came out firing and hit 51.9 percent of their shots (27 of 52), with Josh Okogie scoring 26 and Ben Lammers 20.
It should go without saying, but major individual performances are key in a tournament lacking a top seed and sure to produce a stellar finish for an underdog. Here's a look at Wednesday's schedule and a few key players to watch.
Wednesday Schedule
| (2) Illinois vs. (4) UCF | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| (8) CSU Bakersfield vs. (6) Texas-Arlington | 9 p.m. | ESPNU |
Updated NIT bracket available at NCAA.com.
Quarterfinal Players to Watch
Malcolm Hill, Illinois
A tournament like this is all about leadership, which is where Malcolm Hill must shine the most in Wednesday's showdown with fourth-seeded UCF.
Hill is a big part of the reason the Fighting Illini (64th in ESPN.com's RPI rankings) clashing with the Golden Knights (70th RPI) looks like one of the bracket's better matchups.
Entering the tournament after averaging 16.9 points per game, Hill dropped 25 on No. 7 Valparaiso on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from deep before cooling with just 13 points in a win against No. 6 Boise State.
Consistency will sink or help Illinois float against a UCF squad ranked 20th in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom.com. Call it a tall task, though it's something the senior can certainly handle.
Tacko Fall, UCF
Though B.J. Taylor has scored 48 points over two NIT games for the Knights, it's the 7'6" sophomore Tacko Fall who could dictate the outcome of Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Fall averaged 11 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game during the regular season before going for 10, eight and three in those categories in a 79-74 escape of fifth-seeded Colorado. He put up another eight, 14 and one in the 63-62 upset of top-seeded Illinois State on Monday.
Provided he can stay out of foul trouble, Fall is the key to the Knights controlling the pace of this one. He'll need to give his shooters plenty of second chances off the glass, considering Illinois ranks 36th in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom.
If Fall can clog the lane and dominate the glass as usual, UCF could have another upset on its hands.
Dedrick Basile, CSU Bakersfield
Eighth-seeded CSU Bakersfield put the madness into March right out of the gates with an upset of top-seeded California 73-66, thanks to a 44-19 first half and 18 total points from Dedrick Basile.
Basile, who averaged 12.4 points per game during the regular season as one of four Roadrunners in double digits, has turned it on for the NIT. He shot 50 percent from deep (4-of-8) in the upset before helping CSU Bakersfield (77th RPI) take down fourth-seeded Colorado State 81-63 via his 17 points on a 5-of-12 effort.
CSU Bakersfield isn't normally known for its offense either, not while coming in ranked 12th in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom. But Basile has flipped a switch so far, and should his hot hand continue, an upset of Texas-Arlington and a trip to Madison Square Garden seems likely.
Drew Charles, Texas-Arlington
Pegging a UT-Arlington Mavericks player to watch isn't the easiest thing to do, which is probably why they've been so potent in the field thus far.
The Mavericks (45th RPI) entered the tourney with six players averaging at least 8.4 points per game, with senior Drew Charles at the bottom of the list at that very number.
So of course, Charles erupted for a career-high 28 in a 105-89 throttling of third-seeded BYU. He hit 5-of-12 from deep and 10-of-17 overall.
Charles wasn't as electric in an 85-69 win against seventh-seeded Akron, but he didn't need to do much, cruising to a 4-of-8 mark with 11 points.
While Charles doesn't necessarily pace the Mavericks, his ability to stuff the stat sheet come tournament time on efficient scoring makes him a critical asset against a team ranked so well in defensive categories. He'll need a big performance against CSU Bakersfield—which isn't a normal No. 8 seed—to help the Mavericks stay alive.
Advanced metrics courtesy of ESPN.com.
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