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The quarterfinals of the NIT are set to continue Wednesday night as Vanderbilt will host UAB and Cincinnati will host Utah Valley with the final two spots in next week’s semifinals up for grabs. The winners will head to Las Vegas while the losers will be done for the year after piecing together three straight victories to reach this point in a bracket that began with 32 teams.
Up first, the Commodores and Blazers are facing off in a game that pits a scorching hot Vandy squad against one of the nation’s top scorers from UAB in guard Jordan “Jelly” Walker. Then, in the nightcap, Cincinnati and second-year coach Wes Miller will look to continue building momentum ahead of the program’s transition to the Big 12 next season as the Bearcats take on Utah Valley on the road. UVU won the WAC regular-season title and blocks more shots than any team in the country.
Quarterfinal action began with a couple of close games Tuesday night as North Texas took down Oklahoma State 65-59 in overtime on the road to end the Cowboys’ season with a record of 20-16. The Mean Green are now 29-7 and building off of last year’s NIT appearance in which they played a pair of overtime games.
In Tuesday’s other game, Wisconsin continued its sudden surge by beating Oregon 61-58 behind 18 points from Max Klesmit. The Badgers dealt with their share of disappointment during the regular season but are now up to 20 wins for the year after picking up their third victory of the NIT.
Historically, the event’s semifinals and final were contested at Madison Square Garden, but the NCAA announced in January that Las Vegas would host those games this season with Indianapolis landing the event in 2024….
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