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.