News, Notes and NIT Championship Preview – Thursday, March 29th

-For Jon Teitel’s interview with 3x3U Selection Committee member Matt Santangelo – CLICK HERE

-For updated rosters for the 3x3U Tournament – CLICK HERE

-Be on the lookout for our HoopsHD Report podcast later tonight where we discuss the Final Four, the 3x3U Tournament as well as news on coaching changes for the 2018-19 season.

For the third season in a row, we are assured of a deciding Game 3 in the CBI Championship Series thanks to North Texas’s 69-55 victory over San Francisco last night. Jordan Duffy led the Mean Green with 15 points and 9 boards; UNT only trailed at one point during the first half. What was a close game was blown open in the 2nd half; the Mean Green began the 2nd half with a 16-3 spurt in the first 8 minutes and led by as many as 18 to coast to a win. Game 3 will be played Friday night at 7 PM to decide who wins the 2018 CBI Tournament.

In the CIT semifinals, Liberty got off to a hot 12-5 start in the first 4 minutes of the game, but Illinois-Chicago outscored Liberty 62-39 the rest of the way to advance to the CIT championship game on Friday night. Four UIC players scored in double figures; Tarkus Ferguson led the Flames with 16 points. They will travel to play Northern Colorado; UNC had little trouble in defeating Sam Houston State 99-80 last night. The Bears shot a sizzling 17-for-30 from behind the arc; Andre Spight was the star with 40 points in UNC’s victory.

There are now 5 finalists for the John Wooden award that will be announced after the NCAA Championship – Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, Kansas’s Devonte Graham, Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Oklahoma’s Trae Young.

NIT

(2) UTAH VS. (4) PENN STATE (7:00 PM, ESPN2). While tonight’s game isn’t the title game that the Conference of Champions targeted during the regular season, Utah has a chance to deliver for the Pac-12 after coming from behind to defeat Western Kentucky 69-64 on Tuesday night. They will take on a fairly young Penn State team that had no trouble beating Mississippi State 75-60.

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