NIT 2012: Scores and Recap from Wednesday March 21 on Astini News
The final four of the NIT is set and the two teams to punch their ticket on Wednesday did so in polar opposite fashion.
Behind 15 points from Josh Owens and Chasson Randle, the No. 3 seeded Stanford Cardinal destroyed No. 5 Nevada 84-56 at home.
The Cardinal beat the Wolf Pack in every statistical category. They shot a blazing hot 8-of-14 from three-point range for a 57 percent clip. It was domination from the jump as the Cardinal sprinted to a 42-27 lead at the half and never looked back.
With three wins by a combined 43 points, the Cardinal is rolling into their semifinals matchup against No. 5 UMass, who beat No. 3 Drexel 72-70 on Tuesday.
It was a completely different story on the other side of the country.
No. 6 Minnesota needed a 50-point second half to sneak by No. 4 Middle Tennessee, 78-72 on the road.
Current favorite to win Most Valuable Player, Rodney Williams, led the way once again, finishing with 24 points on a blistering 8-of-11 shooting. Andre Hollins also scored 24, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing four assists.
16 turnovers for the Blue Raiders, with most of them coming in the second half suggests that the team tightened up when the intensity level began to increase.
After going 3-and-8 to finish the season, it looked as if the Gophers season was going to end in disappointment. Instead, they have won three games by 33 points and are now my pick to cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden. Coach Tubby Smith sounds like a guy that is playing the "nobody respects us" card with his team (via ESPN):
It's a great reward. Our goal was to get to postseason play, get to the NCAA (tournament). They can feel good about themselves and not have to listen to naysayers say they're not any good or can't play or coach can't coach. That's what it does for them.
The Gophers are peaking at the right time and will be playing No. 1 Washington in the semi that will likely be the best game of the tournament.
With four teams and four different seeds, the field is wide open. This is shaping up to be one of the more exciting tournaments of the last decade.
Click here for updated bracket
