The Washington State Cougars are in New York, set to take-on Wichita State at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Final Four. The Cougars punched their ticket to the NIT semifinals last Wednesday with a thrilling, 69-66 overtime win over Northwestern. On Tuesday at 4 p.m., the Cougars and Shockers hit the court with a chance to play in the NIT Championship on the line at Madison Square Garden.
Washington State made its way to the NIT Final Four by finally stringing wins together in the tournament, a feat its struggled to achieve all season long. Washington State got off to a hot start, dispatching Long Beach State in Pullman to open the tournament with an 85-74 win. Oklahoma State was next and the Cougars took care of business convincingly, handing the Cowboys a 74-64 loss. Finally, in the regional finals, Washington State used the rush of the home crowd and clutch plays in overtime to advance to the Final Four with the aforementioned win over Northwestern.
Wichita State may not be a household name, but the Shockers are a dangerous team that’s taken care of business throughout the tournament. In the opening round, Wichita State ran Nebraska off the court in a 76-49 win. No. 1 seed Virginia Tech was the next victim as the Shockers used overtime to down the Hokies, 79-76, before advancing to the Final Four with a 82-75 win over College of Charleston.
Washington State and Wichita State hit the court at 4 p.m. on ESPN2. For more on the game, check out the rest of our 2011 NIT StoryStream or head over to SB Nation’s CougCenter.
Here’s a look at the NIT Final Four bracket and a look back at how the teams got here.
NIT Final Four
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 1 Colorado Buffaloes
No. 2 Washington State Cougars vs. No. 4 Wichita State Shockers
Upper left bracket:
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide def. No. 2 Miami Hurricanes, 79-64
Bottom left bracket:
No. 1 Colorado Buffaloes def. No. 7 Kent St. Golden Flashes, 81-74
Upper right bracket:
No. 2 Washington St. Cougars def. No. 4 Northwestern Wildcats, 69-67 OT
Lower right bracket:
No. 4 Wichita St. Shockers def. No. 6 Charleston Cougars, 82-75