Penn State beats Utah to win the 2018 NIT Championship
For the first time in a while, Penn State Basketball was a competitive force in the college basketball world. The NIT title served as the finishing touches to a quality season.
When it comes to the NIT, some teams come in disappointed, feeling that the NCAA Tournament was where they should have been. But for teams on the rise, it can serve as a stepping stone in the same way the previous champs TCU did.
Penn State came into this championship game with the program’s highest number of wins since the 2008-09 season and the most conference victories since 2010-11. Led by a core group of sophomores, the Nittany Lions seemed to have turned the page from being at the very bottom of the Big Ten.
After beating good teams like Temple, Notre Dame, Marquette, and Mississippi State, Pat Chambers team faced a veteran-led Utah team in the finals of the NIT.
The game was close in the first half, with the Nittany Lions taking a small lead into the halftime break. But the Ute’s offense wasn’t capable of keeping up with Penn State and fell behind by 15 points heading into the fourth and final quarter.
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The Nittany Lions kept control of the game from that point forward, and after leading by as many as 19 points, Penn State coasted to an 82-68 win.
Lamar Stevens was the main source of offense, dominating both inside and out to the tune of 28 points on 11/15 shooting. Josh Reaves had a good game as well, finishing with 18 points on the night.
But the star of the game was Tony Carr, who made up for a poor shooting night to tie the NIT record with 14 assists, to go along with 15 points and nine rebounds. If he comes back next season, Penn State is a sure bet to return to the NCAA Tournament.
The most impressive thing about the title run for the Nittany Lions was that this was done without a key player in Mike Watkins, who missed the tournament with an injury. He led the team in rebounding at nearly nine a game.
Sedrick Barefield led Utah with 22 points and six made three-pointers but didn’t have much help. It was his and a few others last game for the Utes, who’ll have to rebuild the roster after the season.
Next: Preview of the 3X3U National Championship
Penn State will now be looking to use the momentum from this championship to get to an even bigger event – the Big Dance. What happens in the off-season will determine their chances.