NIT 2019: Tuesday's Quarterfinals Scores, Updated Bracket and Wednesday Schedule
March 27, 2019
The National Invitation Tournament continues to narrow down its field with teams trying to earn a spot in the semifinals.
There were eight teams left in the bracket entering Tuesday, knowing one more win punches a ticket to Madison Square Garden in New York City. While it might not be as glamorous as playing in the Final Four in Minneapolis, it's a good way for these squads to end a disappointing year.
Indiana, Wichita State, Creighton and TCU all had different seasons but earned their way to this point.
Check out the latest updates from Tuesday's games in the NIT.
NIT Quarterfinal Scores/Schedule
March 26
No. 6 Wichita State def. No. 1 Indiana 73-63
No. 1 TCU def. No. 2 Creighton 71-58
March 27
No. 4 Colorado at No. 2 Texas; 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
No. 5 Lipscomb at No. 2 NC State, 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Full bracket is available at NCAA.com.
Wichita State 73, Indiana 63
After an up-and-down season, Indiana finally saw its year come to a close with a disappointing home loss at Assembly Hall.
Juwan Morgan had 21 points, six rebounds and three blocks in his final collegiate game as the team fell short of the semifinals.
However, no team has had a better run in the NIT than Wichita State. The Shockers knocked off three teams that had a legitimate argument for the Big Dance in Furman, Clemson and now Indiana, showcasing impressive versatility throughout.
As Tyler Greever of WIBW noted, this stretch is unseen in tournament history:
Markis McDuffie was the star in this one, scoring 21 points, including a hot start that energized the road team.
The senior's shooting early helped his team take a 36-29 lead at halftime.
Indiana fought back to keep it close, but the Shockers continually made big shots every time the Hoosiers had a chance to take over. As a result, the home team didn't hold the lead the entire second half.
Wichita State guard Dexter Dennis finishing with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting with six blocks also helped complete the upset.
With Indiana shooting just 6-of-18 from three-point range and 7-of-13 from the free-throw line, a comeback was just not in the cards.
The Shockers were overlooked for most of the season, but the squad will now move on to the semifinals as a real threat to win it all.
TCU 71, Creighton 58
Kouat Noi dominated with 25 points and seven rebounds, shooting 6-of-12 from three-point range, to lead TCU to an easy victory Tuesday.
Creighton led by three points at halftime but the Horned Frogs scored the first 16 points after intermission and never looked back.
Although the Blue Jays were the ones with the deeper rotation, this didn't seem to help in this game:
The team is usually excellent from deep but only finished 9-of-31 from three-point range while finishing 36.2 percent shooting overall. Adding in 15 turnovers and it was a disappointing offensive effort for Creighton.
Losing Martin Krampelj to an ankle injury also didn't help.
TCU was able to take advantage, with everyone playing an important role. Alex Robinson is used to racking up assists but had 11 rebounds and two steals, while Kevin Samuel had four blocks and two steals.
The Big 12 squad believed it deserved a spot in the NCAA tournament and it has showed its talent over the past couple of weeks.