NIT 2019: Updated Bracket, Schedule After Creighton Beats Memphis on Friday

The second round of the NIT tipped off with the No. 2 Creighton Bluejays hosting the No. 3 Memphis Tigers at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Creighton advanced to the second round with a 79-67 win over No. 7 Loyola-Chicago of Sister Jean fame on Tuesday, while Memphis defeated No. 6 San Diego by 14 points. 

However, on Friday night, it was Creighton who came out with a double-digit victory, becoming the first team in the field to notch a spot in the quarterfinals. 

Below is an updated overview of the NIT bracket and schedule accompanied by a recap of Creighton's win over Memphis. 

Bracket

Track the NIT official bracket at NCAA.com.

Schedule

All times are Eastern

Saturday, March 23

No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks, 12 p.m. (ESPN)

No. 1 UNC Greensboro Spartans vs. No. 5 Lipscomb Bisons, 2 p.m. (ESPN)

Sunday, March 24

No. 2 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 6 Wichita State Shockers, 2 p.m. (ESPN)

No. 2 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 3 Xavier Musketeers, 4 p.m. (ESPN)

No. 2 NC State Wolfpack vs. No. 6 Harvard Crimson, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

No. 1 TCU Horned Frogs vs. No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Monday, March 25

No. 4 Colorado Buffaloes vs. No. 8 Norfolk State Spartans, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

Recap

Creighton def. Memphis, 79-67

John Minchillo/Associated Press

While the final score was lopsided, these were both hot teams coming in. On March 3, Creighton upset Marquette, who was seeded fifth before losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday. Meanwhile, Memphis has a March 15 win over NCAA tournament team UCF.

The Bluejays presented a united front against Memphis as all five starters scored in double digits. Their balanced attack was further illustrated by the fact that sophomore guard Mitch Ballock and freshman guard Marcus Zegarowski tied for a team-high 14 points.

Memphis senior guard Jeremiah Martin led all scorers with 20 points.

Creighton started to pull away toward the end of the first half, entering the locker room with a 10-point lead, and did not relinquish control from there. 

The Bluejays missed out on the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015-16, but each of their last two appearances in the Big Dance ended with first-round exits. That said, it's not a stretch to say that an NIT trophy would go a long way in building momentum for coach Greg McDermott's young squad.

Creighton (20-14) will await the result of TCU-Nebraska on Saturday to set the quarterfinals matchup. 

Memphis finishes its season at 22-14.