Indiana Picks Off NIT Crown : College basketball: Cheaney scores 36 as No. 4-ranked Hoosiers hold off No. 6 Seton Hall, 78-74.

Calbert Cheaney bettered his personal best for the second game in a row by scoring 36 points and No. 4 Indiana defeated No. 6 Seton Hall, 78-74, Friday night to win the preseason National Invitation Tournament.

Cheaney, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, scored 34 points Wednesday night during the Hoosiers’ semifinal victory over Florida State. They prevailed in the championship game despite not scoring a field goal in the final 4:59.

Indiana (4-0) led, 61-57, with 6:35 left and Cheaney scored the Hoosiers’ next eight points, the last two coming on two free throws with 4:16 left to give Indiana a 69-60 lead.

Terry Dehere then sank a three-pointer with 3:44 left and Arturas Karnishovas added a free throw 42 seconds later to get the Pirates (3-1) within five. Indiana, usually one of the better free-throw shooting teams in the country, then struggled from the foul line, but Seton Hall couldn’t take advantage.

The Hoosiers made only nine of 18 free throws in the last 2:26, but the closest Seton Hall could get was three points, the last time at 77-74 with 13 seconds to play on a tip-in by Karnishovas. Greg Graham then made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left.

Cheaney, who averaged 18.8 points over his first three seasons, was voted the tournament’s most valuable player.

“Our game against Florida State, Cheaney had 34 points and I didn’t think he played well,” Indiana Coach Bob Knight said. “He scored well . . . I really think tonight he played a great basketball game, and I use that word great sparingly.”

NIT Note

Indiana forward Pat Graham said that he will have surgery on his broken left foot next week, the second time in six months he has had to have a graft on the same bone. The 6-foot-6 junior was injured with 20 seconds to play during Wednesday night’s victory over Florida State.