NIT : Quarterfinal Winners Get Trip to N.Y.
New Mexico and Colorado State, who finished tied for fifth in the Western Athletic Conference, are a victory away from a trip to New York for the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
Both teams are at home in tonight’s quarterfinals. New Mexico (22-13) faces Ohio State (18-12), the 1986 NIT winner, and Colorado State (20-12) plays Arkansas State (21-13).
In another quarterfinal tonight, Virginia Commonwealth (23-11) is at Connecticut (17-14). The round will be completed Saturday night when Boston College (17-13) plays at Middle Tennessee State (23-10).
The winners move to Madison Square Garden for the semifinals Tuesday night. The championship game will be held Wednesday night.
Ohio State, which has beaten Old Dominion and Cleveland State in the NIT, meets a New Mexico team that has been especially tough at home this season, going 19-1. Included was a January win over then No. 1-ranked Arizona--one of only two regular-season losses for the Wildcats.
New Mexico, in the NIT for the fifth straight year, will be without 7-foot 1-inch freshman backup center Luc Longley, who left to try out for the Australian Olympic team.
New Mexico already holds a 74-65 victory over Ohio State this season in the Lobo Invitational final.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
