NIT 2019: Predicting Winner and Final Score for Championship Game

Don't look now, but Cinderella didn't make it to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Instead, she made an appearance in the 2019 NIT championship and her name is Lipscomb.

The Bisons defied the odds and defeated Wichita State 71-64 to punch their ticket to Thursday's final at Madison Square Garden.

The Texas Longhorns knocked off TCU 58-44 in their semifinal and are hoping Lipscomb's glass slipper doesn't fit anymore when they meet in the championship game.

And while neither team made it to the Big Dance, both are playing great basketball, so it will be worth a watch to see which squad brings home the trophy.

Date: Thursday, April 4

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Lipscomb Take the Tough Road to Madison Square Garden

As the No. 5 seed in their bracket, Lipscomb (29-7) had the deck stacked against them, having to win every game on the road to get to the final.

Led by high-scoring senior Garrison Mathews, who poured in 34 points to help the Bisons overcome an 11-point deficit to beat the Shockers, the Bisons have won four straight, including a win over No. 1-ranked UNC-Greensboro.

In addition to trying to end its season with championship bragging rights, Lipscomb wants basketball fans to know they belong on the big stage.

"I think people should know about us now, winning conference last year... and then this year, we're still playing," senior forward Rob Marberry said, per Erik Bacharach of the Nashville Tennessean. "Any time that a team is playing in late March and early April, it's a pretty big deal. They are a great team and I think people can finally see that Lipscomb is a basketball school now."

The Bisons aren't well-known just yet, but they'll be facing one of the most storied college programs in the country in the Longhorns.

If Matthews and Co. want to take down Texas, they'll need to continue playing with the kind of mental toughness and poise that helped them make it to MSG.

"I really do trust our players," Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander said, per Bacharach. "I never doubt where they are mentally. I never doubt their want-to. And so it's a little easier to stay composed and it's a little easier just to keep coaching the game."

Mathews hit five three-pointers on Tuesday night, and he'll need to be just as deadly from behind the arc if he and his teammates want to secure the school's first NIT title.

Texas Seniors Want Storybook Ending 

UT has a lot to prove this postseason.

After missing their spot in March Madness for being on the bubble, the Longhorns (20-16) will be looking to make a statement against Lipscomb.

Of the 15-man roster, no player has more on the line than Kerwin Roach II.

The senior guard was suspended for the second time this year and the third time of his career in February for violating team rules.

Texas lost four of its last five games without its leading scorer (15 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game) and missed the Big Dance for the fifth year in a row.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Roach blames himself.

"Every time I turn on the TV and somebody is talking about March Madness," Roach said, per Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "This team was on bubble. It definitely hurts me."

The 6'4", 180-pound backcourt maestro has been on the road to redemption in the NIT, capping off an impressive run with a 22-point performance against TCU on Tuesday.

Roach and fellow senior Dylan Osetkowski are vying to end their careers under head coach Shaka Smart on a high note and deliver UT its first NIT since 1978.

"You don't see that very often with seniors getting to go out, win their last game, win a championship," Smart said, per Nick Moyle of the Houston Chronicle. "That's something we'll talk about a lot tonight."

Prediction: Lipscomb 63, Texas 56

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com