If Washington State fans are still feeling down about their NIT semifinal loss to Wichita State, they can take solace in knowing the Cougars lost to the eventual champion. In the NIT Championship, Wichita State took care of Alabama to bring home the title with a 66-57 win to cap the tournament.
The Shockers won the title as a No. 4 seed, taking down plenty of major conference along the way. Wichita State left Nebraska, Virginia Tech, College of Charleston, Washington State and, finally, Alabama in its wake en route to the championship during an impressive NIT run. On the NIT’s biggest stage, at Madison Square Garden, the Shockers finished the tournament in style with a blowout win over Washington State in the semifinals and a convincing win over Alabama in the finals.
J.T. Durley and Graham Hatch led the way for the Shockers with 12 points apiece. Aaron Ellis and Garrett Stutz were close behind with eight points each. All 10 Wichita State players that logged minutes also scored, with the Shockers’ bench adding 27 points.
For the final time, here’s a look at the bracket. You can look back at the entire tournament in our 2011 NIT StoryStream.
NIT Championship
No. 4 Wichita State Shockers def. No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, 66-57
NIT Final Four
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide def. No. 1 Colorado Buffaloes, 62-61
No. 4 Wichita State Shockers def. No. 2 Washington State Cougars, 75-44