2014 NIT bracket and schedule: Top-seeded Minnesota faces Southern Miss, Clemson takes on Belmont as quarterfinals get underway
Trips to Madison Square Garden are on the line Tuesday night.
The NIT is down to eight teams as the quarterfinals will get underway on Tuesday, with the two winners punching their tickets to Madison Square Garden.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers, one of three No. 1 seeds left in the tournament, will host the third-seeded Southern Miss Golden Eagles at 9 p.m. ET. The Gophers advanced to the quarterfinals with a 63-55 victory over the fourth-seeded Saint Mary's Gaels on Sunday. Minnesota actually trailed by four points at the half, but they quickly took control of the game early in the second half and held a comfortable lead the rest of the game. Joey King led the way with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Golden Eagles pulled a minor upset to reach the quarters, beating the second-seeded Missouri Tigers 71-63 on Sunday. Neil Watson and Aaron Brown were the stars of the game, with the two combining for 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting.
In the earlier quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the third-seeded Clemson Tigers will host the fifth-seeded Belmont Bruins. The Tigers eked into the quarterfinals with a one-point win over the second-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday, using a Rod Hall layup in the waning moments to nab the victory.
The Bruins have been off since Friday after taking care of business against the Robert Morris Colonials, the upstart No. 8 seed who knocked off the top-seeded Saint John's Red Storm in the first round. Belmont beat Robert Morris 82-71 behind 25 points from J.J. Mann.
Here’s the schedule and an updated NIT bracket via CBS Sports:
No. 5 Belmont Bruins at No. 3 Clemson Tigers, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 3 Southern Miss Golden Eagles at No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
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