San Diego state's Jeremy Hemsley made a key hoop late in the game against Georgia Tech.
Here are times, the bracket, scores, television schedules and game previews for the 2016 NIT tournament as 32 teams compete to make the semifinals and finals at Madison Square Garden.
George Washington vs. Valparaiso | 7 p.m. Eastern | ESPN | Listen live | Watch live stream
Two squads making their first-ever NIT Championship appearance will tangle when No. 1 seed Valparaiso squares off against No. 4 seed George Washington. The Crusaders narrowly edged second-seeded BYU in their semifinal game on Tuesday while the Colonials toppled second-seeded San Diego State in impressive fashion for their school-record 30th win of the season.
Players to watch: Colonials forward Tyler Cavanaugh recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State. The junior is averaging a team-leading 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and has scored in double figures in every game this season. Alec Peters, who on Tuesday became the fifth Crusaders player in 48 years to earn All-American accolades, finished with 15 points and nine rebounds against BYU. The junior forward is averaging 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game -- both team-highs.
Key stats: George Washington is 2-8 all-time at Madison Square Garden. Colonials guard Patricio Garino is averaging 14.1 points per game and has scored in double digits in 11 straight games. George Washington has scored 80 points in four of its last six games and is 12-3 when doing so this season. The Colonials have never won 28 games in a single season. Valparaiso, which is outscoring opponents by 13.2 points per game, is holding foes to 62.4 points on 38.3 percent shooting. Crusaders forward David Skara came off the bench against BYU to score a season-high 15 points. Valparaiso is 6-3 in games decided by 4 points or less. Crusaders center Vashil Fernandez, who has blocked a nation-leading 114 shots, is two blocks shy of matching the Horizon League single-season record (Damian Eargle, 2011).
• Release Print the official 2016 NIT Bracket
| DATE | TIME (ET) | TV | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 17 | 7 p.m. | ESPNEWS | No. 1 Valparaiso 81 No. 4 Florida State 69 |
| March 18 | 9:30 p.m. | ESPNU | No. 2 BYU 80 No. 3 Virginia Tech 77 |
| March 19 | Noon | ESPN | No. 4 Creighton 87 No. 8 Wagner 54 |
| March 20 | Noon | ESPN | No. 2 Florida 74 No. 3 Ohio State 66 |
| March 20 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU | No. 2 St. Mary's 77 No. 3 Georgia 65 |
| March 21 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | No. 4 George Washington 87, No. 1 Monmouth 71 |
| March 21 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | No. 4 Georgia Tech 83, No. 1 South Carolina 66 |
| March 21 | 11:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | No. 2 San Diego St. 93, No. 3 Washington 78 |
| DATE | TIME (ET) | TV | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 22 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | No. 1 Valparaiso 64 No. 2 St. Mary's 44 |
| Mar. 22 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | No. 2 BYU 88 No. 4 Creighton 82 |
| Mar. 23 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 | No. 4 George Washington 82, No. 2 Florida 77 |
| Mar. 23 | 9 p.m. | ESPN2 | No. 2 San Diego St. 72, No. 4 Georgia Tech 56 |
| DATE | TIME (ET) | TV | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 29 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | No. 1 Valparaiso 72, No. 2 BYU 70 |
| Mar. 29 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | No. 4 George Washington 65, No. 2 San Diego St. 46 |
| DATE | TIME (ET) | TV | MATCHUP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 31 | 7 p.m. | ESPN | No. 4 George Washigton 76, No. 1 Valparaiso 60 |
