The second-seeded Maryland Terrapins take on the third-seeded Denver Pioneers in the only game of the NIT Tournament on Thursday as the second round gets under way.
NIT 2013 bracket and schedule: Denver and Maryland only game on Thursday
The second round of the NIT Tournament starts on Thursday with only one game as Denver and Maryland hit the court.
Streeter Lecka
The first round of the NIT Tournament had more than enough action and upsets packed in its couple of days. The No. 8 Robert Morris Colonials upset the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday and then both the UMass Minutemen and Tennessee Volunteers fell to lower seeds on Wednesday.
For more on the story, visit TESTUDO TIMES
Maryland was tied at the half in the NIT first round against the Niagara Purple Eagles but used a 21-2 run in the second half to pick up the team's first postseason win since 2010. The Terrapins used their depth in the win, with eight players playing at least 20 minutes and five players scoring in double figures. Seth Allen, Logan Aronhalt and Nick Faust each scored 15 points for Maryland, which shot 52 percent as a team in the win.
Denver struggled a bit more than Maryland in its win, needing heavy defensive pressure to hold off the Ohio Bobcats, 61-57, on Tuesday evening. Brett Olson led the Pioneers with 15 points who shot 53 percent in the win. Despite shooting 41 percent from the floor, the Bobcats crashed the offensive glass for second chance points to try and keep it close.
Denver might struggle against the big presence of everyone on the Terrapins. Center Alex Lin leads the height advantage at 7’1, but nearly every starter for Maryland will be taller than his Denver counterpart. The Terrapins are third-best rebounding team in the nation with 40.8 per game compared with 25 per game for Denver -- good for 347th out of all college teams. To make up for their lack of size, the Pioneers shoot the ball smartly, averaging 48 percent from the floor as a team and 37 percent from beyond the arc.
The winner of this game will take on the winner between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Stanford Cardinal.
Click here for a link to the updated NIT bracket.
Game time, TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Online: WatchESPN
More in College Basketball:
See More:
