NIT Tournament 2019: Updated Bracket and Schedule as Round 2 Continues

The Indiana Hoosiers faced a huge challenge in the second round of the NIT when it hosted Arkansas of the SEC on Saturday, and the Big Ten representative came through with a 63-60 victory to advance.

While fellow No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro dropped its game to upstart Lipscomb, four more second-round games are scheduled for Sunday and one more will be played in the postseason tournament Monday.

The tradition-laden men's basketball tournament has been going on since 1938, and while it has become a consolation event for teams that are not selected to the NCAA tournament, it gives participating teams an opportunity to grow by playing postseason hoops.

Saturday Scores

No. 1 Indiana 63, No. 5 Arkansas 60

No. 5 Lipscomb 86, No. 1 UNC Greensboro 69 

Sunday, March 24

No. 6 Wichita State at No. 2 Clemson, 2 p.m., ESPN

No. 3 Xavier at No. 2 Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN

No. 6 Harvard at No. 2 NC State, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU

No. 4 Nebraska at No. 1 TCU, 9:30 p.m., ESPNU

Monday, March 25

No. 8 Norfolk State at No. 4 Colorado, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Saturday recap

Devonte Green scored 18 points to lead the Hoosiers. The junior guard hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds to go, and that left the Razorbacks in need of a three-point shot to tie the game.

Jalen Harris got one off, but it was a desperation attempt that hit hard off the backboard.

Juwan Morgan joined Green in a strong effort against Arkansas with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Desi Sills led the way for the Hogs with 18 points.

Indiana's defense turned up the intensity, holding Arkansas without a field goal in the final 6:58. The Hoosiers will play the winner of the Wichita State/Clemson second-round matchup.

Lipscomb ran away from UNC Greensboro with a strong effort from start to finish. Rob Marberry led the way with 24 points for the visitors, while Garrison Matthews added 21 points.

The Bisons is one of the highest scoring teams in the nation with 83.6 points per game, and the Nashville, Tennessee, school will play the winner of Sunday's game between Harvard and North Carolina State in the quarterfinal round. 

Wichita State at Clemson

The Shockers (20-14) have a tough assignment as they go to Littlejohn Coliseum for an encounter with the Tigers (20-13).

Clemson has been steeled by its ACC pedigree, and after facing teams like Duke, North Carolina and Virginia in the regular season, they should be prepared to play Wichita State while having the home-court advantage.

Markis McDuffie leads Wichita with 18.3 points per game and scored a team-high 20 points in their first-round 76-70 victory over Furman. Samajae Haynes-Jones is second on the team with a 12-point average.

The Tigers had won four of five games before losing to North Carolina State in the ACC tournament. They defeated Wright State 75-69 in the first round of the tournament, and they were led Marcquise Reed, who scored 24 points.

Reed is the team's leading scorer with 19.5 points and adds 5.7 rebounds per game. Forward Elijah Thomas averages 13.1 points and connects on 62.3 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Xavier at Texas

Xavier (19-15) was one of four teams to finish tied for third in the Big East standings. After losing 71-67 to Villanova in the Big East semifinals, the Musketeers rolled to a 78-64 victory over Toledo in the first round of the NIT.

Naji Marshall dominated in that game with 20 points and 21 rebounds, and he leads the team with 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Guard Paul Scruggs averages 12.5 points.

Texas (17-16) had a disappointing season as the Longhorns finished sixth in the Big 12. The team lost three games in a row to end the season but edged South Dakota State 79-73 in its first-round NIT game. 

While Big 12 freshman of the year Jaxson Hayes is out after suffering an injury in the Big 12 tournament, the Longhorns will depend on guard Kerwin Roach II, who averages 14.6 points. Dylan Osetkowski is adding 10.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.