NIT 2018: Updated Bracket, Schedule, TV Coverage and Predictions

Notre Dame and St. Mary's are teams on a mission.

Those two schools suffered painful NCAA snubs, but their seasons continue in the NIT. Both teams have gotten off to sharp starts in the tournament and may be very difficult to beat from this point forward.

NIT Second-Round Schedule 

Saturday, March 17

Notre Dame (1) vs. Penn St. (4) | 12 p.m. | ESPN

Sunday, March 18

Baylor (1) vs. Mississippi St. (4) | 12 p.m. | ESPN

Oregon (3) vs. Marquette (2) | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Middle Tenn. (3) vs. Louisville (2) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Monday, March 19

Stanford (3) vs. Oklahoma St. (2) | 7 p.m. | ESPNU

LSU (3) vs. Utah (2) | 9 p.m. | ESPNU

Saint Mary's (1) vs. Washington (5) | 11 p.m. | ESPNU

Southern California (1) vs. Western Ky. (4) | 11:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Full bracket available here. Predicted winners in bold. All times Eastern.

Notre Dame raced past Hampton in the first round by an 84-63 margin, and the Irish will face Penn State Saturday in the second round. 

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Bonzie Colson, who was out during the middle of the season with a broken foot, contributed 14 points and 12 assists. While Colson was solid, Martinas Geben had 18 points to lead the Irish and T.J. Gibbs added 17 more.

It's a good sign for Notre Dame when Colson doesn't have to do everything by himself.

Notre Dame will have a much tougher test against Penn State. The Nittany Lions showed their grit as they rallied past Temple 63-57 in their first-round NIT game.

Josh Reaves led the way for Penn State as he scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  Penn State trailed 52-46 before going on a 16-2 run that allowed it to take control of the game.

St. Mary's stepped onto its home court still feeling the sting of its NCAA snub. The Gaels took it out on Southeast Louisiana by jumping on their opponents early and running away to an overwhelming 89-45 victory.

Jock Landale was unstoppable as he made 11 of his 15 shots and scored 26 points. Landale received support from Jordan Ford and Calvin Hermanson, who scored 19 and 17 points, respectively.

St. Mary's will play Washington Monday, and the Huskies should be able to provide much tougher competition than Southeast Louisiana. The Huskies got by a strong Boise State team 77-74 in their first-round game in Seattle. 

Jaylen Nowell had a team-best 25 points and he got support from Matisse Thybulle with 18 points. Washington built a 16-point second-half lead and held on against the Broncos.

This year's NIT features four experimental rule modifications, per the NCAA. Those rules include an extended three-point line, a widened free-throw lane, four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves and a shot clock change after offensive rebounds.

Predictions

Notre Dame was the first team left on the outside of the NCAA tournament, and if Mike Brey's team had been healthy this year, the Fighting Irish almost certainly would have made it into the Big Dance.

Colson missed 15 games this season due to his injury, but he is healthy again and he brings a 19.9 scoring average into the game against Penn State while averaging 10.2 boards per game. Senior guard Matt Farrell, who missed five games this year, is scoring 16.5 points per contest and connecting on 81.6 percent of his free throws. 

Tony Carr leads the Nittany Lions with 19.4 points per game, while Lamar Stevens is adding 14.8 points per night. Forward Mike Watkins is contributing 12.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Penn State should be able to stay in the game, but the Fighting Irish will take charge in the second half and win by six points or more.

St. Mary's may play with more consistency than any team in the tournament. Landale, a senior center, is averaging 21.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Hermanson is contributing 11.2 points per night and Jordan Ford is scoring 10.6 points per game.

Nowell leads the Huskies with 16.1 points per game, and he is getting support from Noah Dickerson, averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per night.

St. Mary's is too good and has something to prove to the rest of the basketball world, so the Gaels will survive and advance in the NIT.