2014 NIT, CIT & CBI Tournaments

DJnVa

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mabrowndog said:
 
Semifinals - Weds 3/26
07:00 pm - Illinois State at Siena
10:00 pm - Old Dominion at Fresno State
Sending team that's furthest east out to Fresno?
 

mabrowndog

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DrewDawg said:
Sending team that's furthest east out to Fresno?
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with that. It's not like there's any strict seeding in the CIT that required them to send ODU to Fresno and ISU to Siena.
 

mabrowndog

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LA Tech on the verge of an insane comeback. Florida State was up 76-68 with 41 secs left. With his team down 78-72 with :18 left, Raheem Appleby buried a three for the Bulldogs, and then they forced a jump ball on the ensuing inbounds, giving them back the ball on the possession arrow with :13 left. 
 
EDIT - Man, their setup was all disjointed. Speedy Smith couldn't get free for a shot, so Appleby had to launch one off-balance. FSU rebounds, Smith fouls him, and they're still alive with :04 left.
 
EDIT - Wow, FSU's free throw shooting down the stretch has been abysmal. Montay Brandon misses both (making the Noles 2-of-6 in the final 32 secs). LA Tech grabs the board, and they're able to get it down court unimpeded for a wide-open Appleby three on the right baseline -- but it's short and clangs off the rim.
 
The Seminoles survive 78-75 and advance to MSG.
 

mabrowndog

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Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat said:
Damn, the Redbirds lost to Siena.
 
Pretty sure no one gives a shit about that but me.
 
That's one of the tougher road games any team can have, regardless of how good Siena is in any given season.
 
Meanwhile, Cal was up 18-11 on SMU, but the Mustangs just took a 25-24 lead.
 

mabrowndog

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In the CIT
 
* VMI trailed at Ohio by 7 at the half, but led by 10 with 2:46 to play. The Keydets then withstood a Bobcats comeback bid that got them within 3 with 7 secs left. But Rodney Glasgow buried both free throws, rendering an Ohio three at the buzzer moot in a 92-90 shootout win. Glasgow and Ohio's Nick Kellogg led all scorers with 30 apiece, while VMI's D.J. Covington added 29 pts & 11 boards. The Keydets hit 21 of 25 free throws tonight.
 
* Yale comes back from a 9-pt halftime road deficit to beat Columbia, 72-69. The Bulldogs canned 9 of 11 FTs in the final 2:09, including their last 4 by Javier Duren (30 pts) to fend off the Lions, who had gotten within a point on a Steve Frankoski three with 7 secs left. Another Columbia three, by Maodo Lo in a tying bid at the buzzer, was off the mark.
 

mabrowndog

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That was a stellar finish in Texas. And yeah, Brown really is a genius. What a superb final play call to free up Nic Moore on the curl-around for the winning three from the right wing with 9 seconds left -- right after Justin Cobbs buried an equally clutch three to give Cal the lead 9 seconds earlier.
 
SMU wins it, 67-65, and heads to MSG.
 
The season ends for the Bears and Ricky Kreklow (son of Wayne, ex of the '81 World Champion Celtics).
 

DJnVa

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mabrowndog said:
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with that. It's not like there's any strict seeding in the CIT that required them to send ODU to Fresno and ISU to Siena.
 
Thinking about it, I guess it makes sense in the sense if they were in opposite semis, with the best of 3 final, then you're going coast to coast multiple times. Not there's much difference from Siena's POV in flight times.
 

mabrowndog

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In the last of the CIT quarterfinals, host Murray State stormed back from a 3-pt halftime deficit to knock off Towson, 85-73. Cameron Payne racked 23 on 8-of-13 shooting while backcourt mate Dexter Fields added 15, hitting 5 of his 9 shots -- all threes. Payne also had 5 steals while Tyler Rambo picked off 3, part of 11 thefts that helped prompt 14 Tiger turnovers. Down low, the Racers blocked 8 shots, 4 by Jonathan Farrell (13 pts, 10 reb) and 3 by Jarvis Williams (18 pts, 9 reb). Murray also missed just one of their dozen free throws.
 
In the late game Wednesday, Pacific held serve at home to beat San Diego, 75-60. Andrew Bock put up 23 while Tony Gill added 18 and grabbed 11 boards. The semifinals are now set for next Tuesday, with the title match on Thursday night. All three games air on CBS Sports Network:
 
Apr 1 - 07:00 pm - Yale (18-13) at VMI (22-12)
Apr 1 - 09:00 pm - Pacific (18-15) at Murray State (21-11)
Apr 3 - 07:00 pm - Championship
 

mabrowndog

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CBSSN will also air the entire CBI Championship series, which is a best of three starting Monday night.
 
Mon, 3/31 - 10:00 pm - Siena at Fresno State
Wed, 4/02 - 07:00 pm - Fresno State at Siena
Sat, 4/05 - 11:30 am - Fresno State at Siena (if necessary)
 

mabrowndog

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NIT semis are Tuesday night, with the final on Thursday:
 
Apr 1 - 07:00 pm - #1 SMU vs #3 Clemson (ESPN2)
Apr 1 - 09:00 pm - #1 Minnesota vs #1 Florida St (ESPN2)
Apr 3 - 07:00 pm - Championship (ESPN)
 

mabrowndog

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Halftime in Fresno and the Bulldogs lead Siena 32-26 in Game 1 of the CBI Final Series. Fresno was about to finish the half with a 10-1 run and an 8-pt lead, but Siena's Brett Bisping snuck behind the defense off a pick & roll and took the feed for a layup at the buzzer.
 

mabrowndog

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Two controversial calls in the final 20 seconds. With a 2-pt lead Siena inbounds but gets trapped near midcourt. Their guard appears to have been tacked by a defender going for the ball, but he gets called for a travel instead after falling to the floor and rolling over. Just ridiculous.
 
So Fresno gets the ball back and holds for the last shot. It's a penetration by Marvelle Harris from the left side of the key -- but there's a charge call with 2.3 secs left as Bisping had set up shop. An accurate call, but the Bulldog fans think it was a make-up whistle and are incensed.
 
Siena uses some serious rebounding in the second half and comes from behind for the 61-57 win. The next two games (Weds and if necessary Saturday) are on the Saints' court in Loudonville NY.
 

mabrowndog

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Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat said:
Larry Brown is a wizard
 
QFT, as he's taking his SMU Mustangs to the NIT Championship Game after a victory over Clemson. The Tigers led by a dozen at halftime, and by 13 a minute into the 2nd (41-28). But SMU held them to just one FG and a pair of free throws over the next 9 minutes to tie it 45-45. They took the lead for good (55-53) with just over 5 minutes to play on two foul shots, and held the Tigers to just 6 pts the rest of the way to win it 66-59.
 
Overall, that's a 37-18 run for the comeback. Markus Kennedy racks 21 with 9 boards, and they out-rebounded Clemson 34-25. After making 6 of their first 9 threes, the Tigers made just 2 of their last 11. Just an immense defensive bear-down by SMU.
 

mabrowndog

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Minnesota, up by 3 in the nightcap, misses a free throw with :08 left. FSU gets the rebound, and instead of fouling them before they can get a shot off, the Gophers allow them to push the ball up court and get in great position for a three. And it's Devon Bookert who drills it from the top of the arc to send this one to overtime.
 

mabrowndog

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It nearly happened again in OT, this time on an out-of-bounds play with 6.1 secs left. Down by 3, the Noles are allowed to advance the ball unencumbered -- no foul!! -- and the shot comes from Ian Miller at almost the exact same spot beyond the arc...
 
But this time it's barely off line. I don't understand Petite Pitino's strategy, but Minnesota advances, 67-64. 
 
It'll be the Gophers vs SMU for the title on Thursday night.
 

mabrowndog

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In the CIT, Yale wins on the road, downing Virginia Military Institute 75-62. Despite 14 turnovers, the Bulldogs destroyed the Keydets on the boards, 45-27. All 11 players grabbed one or more, and 8 different kids hauled down at least one offensive board. Yale led by 10 at the half.
 
Murray State hammered visiting Pacific, 98-75, on 55% floor shooting -- including 13 of 25 on threes. Cameron Payne led the way with 21, while Jarvis Williams & T.J. Sapp added 18 apiece (the latter coming off the bench) and Jeff Moss chipped in 15.
 
The Racers will host Yale in the title game Thursday night at 8 pm EDT on CBSSN.
 

mabrowndog

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In the CBI, looks like Fresno is going to force a third and deciding game in the championship series, as they're blowing host Siena out of the water tonight in Loudonville. Ever since the Saints drew to within 10-9 on a Brett Bisping three inside of 12:00 to go in the first half, it's been all Bulldogs. Fresno went on a 33-12 run that nearly closed the half, but Ryan Oliver hit a three at the buzzer for Siena to make it 43-24 at the break.
 
It's now 60-34 Bulldogs with 14:34 remaining in the game. They've hit an incredible 71.4% of their shots (20/28) including 8-for-14 beyond the arc, and are 14-for-16 on free throws. They've out-rebounded Siena 23-10 while holding the Saints to 38.9% from the floor and blocking 5 shots.
 
EDIT - Final score: Fresno 89, Siena 75, with Allen Huddleston (20), Tyler Johnson (19), Paul Watson (14), Cezar Guerrero (13) and Marvelle Harris (11) all hitting double-digits for the Bulldogs, and Alex Davis swatting away 6 Siena shots, 
 
Game 3 will be Saturday morning at Siena (11:30 AM, CBSSN), as a prelude to the Final Four.
 

mabrowndog

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Catching up on last night's games:
 
* Minnesota wins the NIT in a barnburner, 65-63. The Gophers led by 3 at the half, but SMU chipped away and eventually took a 53-46 lead on a Markus Kennedy dunk with 5:53 left. Minnesota scored 7 unanswered over the next 1:16 to tie it. The Mustangs' Nick Russell produced another tie at 57-57 on a three with 1:41 left. The teams each sank a pair from a line before Austin Hollins hit from deep to put the Gophers ahead for good, 62-59, as part of his 19-pt, 4-steal night. 
 
* Murray State won the CIT at home over Yale, 65-57. The Bulldogs were playing without leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker in sophomore forward Justin Sears (16.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg), who hurt his wrist in their semifinal win at VMI. They struggled all night to make even the easiest shots, blowing layups and tips galore, but still managed to log a competitive effort until late in the game. The Racers led 22-14 with 7:38 left in the 1st, but Yale closed the gap to just a point by halftime. Murray reestablished their 8-pt margin with 11:48 to play, and built it to 11 on a Cameron Payne three with 10:00 remaining.
 
A 10-0 Bulldog run made it a 1-point game again with 7:42 left. The Racers turned on the jets again with a 9-0 run over the next 2:31. Yale couldn't mount any further sustained responses, and in the end it came down to them shooting like crap. Despite their spurts, they made just 20 of 77 shots (26%). Even a 25-7 margin on the offensive glass didn't help, as Murray blocked 14 shots and made 9 steals. Payne led the way for the Racers with 24 while Jarvis Williams added 16. Yale's 2nd-leading scorer Javier Duren topped their sheet with 18 including 4-of-8 on threes, but made just 1 of 9 inside the arc. The Bulldogs lose just two seniors in reserve guards Jesse Pritchard and Isaiah Salafia, so they should be a prime contender for the Ivy crown next season.
 

mabrowndog

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Belated congrats to Siena, who closed the first half on a 26-11 run to take a 17-pt lead at the break, and went on to knock off Fresno State 81-68 in Albany to win the CBI best-of-three championship series, 2 games to 1. Junior guard Rob Poole led all scorers with 23 (including 12 of 16 from the stripe), while sophomore forward Brett Bisping hit for 20 and grabbed 9 boards. The Saints held the Bulldogs to 30% shooting (18-for-60) including 7-for-23 from deep, and racked 32 defensive rebounds -- that's 65% of the chances on Fresno's misses.
 
The Bulldogs' lone two seniors, guards Tyler Johnson & Allen Huddleston, closed out their careers with 20 and 14 pts respectively, while sophomore guard Cezar Guerrero added 17.  Siena returns everyone next year except reserve guard Steven Cruz, who played just 14 minutes all year, so expect the Saints to be MAAC favorites next season over Iona, Canisius, Quinnipiac & Manhattan, all of whom will graduate a shitload of production and leadership.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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The last two games for Siena were the first played on campus since the 96-97 season, I think, when they moved their home games to the Times Union (then the Pepsi) center. The ARC seats roughly 2500.  Students came out en masse  for the final on Sunday with the promise of free bacon.