The finals of the NIT is here and either Penn State or Utah will be crowned champions. Which team takes home the title?
TV schedule: Thursday, March 29, 7:00 p.m. ET. ESPN2
Arena: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
The NIT has been fun this season, thanks in part to a lack of upsets. It’s allowed the better teams to stick around, including the two playing tonight. Each won their semifinal matchups to get here, albeit in different fashions.
Penn State (25-13) used a 21-0 run in the first half to get the separation needed to take care of Mississippi State, 75-60. Three players combined to score 56 of the Nittany Lions 75 total points, led by Shep Garner (18 points), and Tony Carr (21 points) and Lamar Stevens (17 points) who also had 14 rebounds and 11 assists between the two as well.
Penn State can have a prolific offense at times, dropping 11 three-pointers against the Bulldogs, while committing just five turnovers. This was one of the more complete performances this season for Pat Chambers’ team.
While the Big Ten school enjoyed an easy victory, Utah (23-11) had to fight it out for 40 minutes to squeak by 69-64 over Western Kentucky. Justin Bibbins led the Utes with 19 points while making all 12 free throw attempts and playing all 40 minutes. In the frontcourt, Tyler Rawson and David Collette combined for 25 points and 15 rebounds.
When it comes to the rosters, there’s a complete difference as far as next year goes. If everyone returns, Penn State will bring back most of their production and will be an early favorite to make the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand, Utah will be going through a transition, with the top three scorers all being seniors. The Utes will want this game as a great swan song while the Nittany Lions want to use this as momentum like TCU did the year prior.
Next: Thoughts on AP All-American teams
This will be a battle of Penn State’s high-octane offense and Utah’s strong defense. Whichever team controls the game will have a big advantage, and I’ll look to the veteran Utes to do that.
Prediction: Utah 72 – Penn State 67