The 2013 National Invitation Tournament officially kicked off on Tuesday. Nine games were played as teams fight for the ultimate consolation prize in the college basketball world. The first round will conclude on Wednesday and the second round starts on Thursday. But first, let’s recap the action from Tuesday’s games:
NIT scores and bracket 2013: Kentucky falls in shocking upset
Nine teams moved on to the second round of the NIT on Tuesday. Kentucky will not be one of those teams.
Wesley Hitt
No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm 63, No. 4 Saint Joseph’s Hawks 61
The NIT started off with a bang, as a buzzer-beater by Sir’Dominic Pointer completed the comeback win for St. John’s. The Red Storm trailed by as much as 12 points in the second half before storming back to end Saint Joseph’s season. Pointer finished with 15 points and Jakarr Simpson led St. John’s with 16. The Red Storm will face Virginia in the second round.
No. 2 Maryland Terrapins 86, No. 7 Niagara Purple Eagles 70
A 21-2 Maryland run in the second half put this game away pretty quickly. Nick Faust, Logan Aronhalt and Seth Allen all had 15 points, with Faust grabbing 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. The Terps shot 52.5 percent from the field, compared to just 35.4 percent for Niagara. Maryland will play Denver next.
No. 5 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 71, No. 4 Florida State Seminoles 66
Louisiana Tech came back from a nine-point second half deficit to upset the Seminoles on their home court. Raheem Appleby led the way with 27 points and Alex Hamilton chipped in 16. For Florida State, Michael Snaer racked up 24 points. The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle, 32-26. They will play the winner of Wednesday’s Southern Miss-Charleston Southern matchup.
No. 8 Robert Morris Colonials 59, No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats 57
The Colonials shocked the defending champions in what was easily the game of the day. They led by double figures in the second half and held off a late Kentucky rally to pull off the upset. Lucky Jones scored 15 points before leaving the game with a flagrant foul, and Archie Goodwin led the Wildcats with 18. Kentucky’s disappointing season ends on an embarrassing note. Robert Morris will play either Providence or Charlotte in the second round.
No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers 67, No. 8 Norfolk St. Spartans 56
Akil Mitchell and Justin Anderson led the way with 15 points and Virginia’s defense smothered the Spartans, who scored just 16 points in the first half and finished the night with a miserable 26.9 field goal percentage. Meanwhile, the Cavs shot 47.6 percent from the field. They draw St. John’s next.
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 62, No. 8 Northeastern Huskies 43
A 22-0 run in the second half turned this game into a laugher. Levi Randolph led with 13 points and Trevor Releford got five steals as the Tide’s defense held Northeastern to a 33.3 field goal percentage. They face Stanford in the second round.
No. 3 Denver Pioneers 61, No. 6 Ohio Bobcats 58
Denver held off a late-game charge by Ohio and sank a free throw with 19 seconds left to clinch the victory. Brett Olson scored 15 points and Cam Griffin put up a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the way. Denver played ferocious defense, getting 10 steals and 10 blocks. They get Maryland in the next round.
No. 3 BYU Cougars 90, No. 6 Washington Huskies 79
This game was the Tyler Haws show. Haws torched the Huskies in front of a rabid Provo crowd, racking up 37 points, six rebounds, and making 15 of his 24 field goal shots. Brandon Davies and Matt Carlino also had more than 20 points as Washington’s defense had no answer for the scoring barrage. BYU will play either Tennessee or Mercer next.
No. 4 Stanford Cardinal 58, No. 5 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 57
Dwight Powell got a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Aaron Bright added 11 points as the Cardinal held off a late rally from the Lumberjacks, who missed a potential buzzer-beater at the end. Stanford shot 40.4 percent from the field and out-rebounded SFA, 32 to 26. The Cardinal will face Alabama next.
Check out the updated bracket here.
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