NIT tournament 2024: Indiana State, Utah, Seton Hall, Georgia will play in Indianapolis
The NIT semifinals and championship game will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 2 and 4, 2024. Indiana State, Utah, Seton Hall and Georgia earned spots by winning three games over the past couple of weeks.
∎ Indiana State (31-6) may have been the most controversial NCAA Tournament snub. The Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champions lost in the conference tournament title game and, despite a NET ranking (an NCAA tool) of No. 29, were on the outside looking in. Sycamores fans have filled Hulman Center for victories over SMU, Minnesota and Cincinnati.
The Sycamores are one of the nation's most efficient teams, averaging 84.5 points per game (7th), making 50.3% from the field (3rd) and 80.3% of their free throws (2nd).
∎ Utah (22-14) finished sixth in the Pac-12 and defeated UC-Irvine, Iowa and VCU at home in the NIT. Point guard Deivon Smith has five triple-doubles this season, including one against VCU.
The Utes share the ball well (17.6 per game, No. 8 in the nation) and grab 27.5 defensive rebounds (6th).
∎ Seton Hall (23-12) is one of a few Big East teams that believes it should have been in the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates finished fourth in conference play and have beaten St. Joseph's, North Texas and UNLV at home in the NIT. Seton Hall beat Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse this season.
Seton Hall is strong at the free-throw line (77.9%, 16th) and attack the offense glass, grabbing 34.3% of their misses (19th).
∎ Georgia (20-16) finished 11th in the SEC and took a tougher route through the NIT, narrowly beating Xavier (at home), Wake Forest and Ohio State (on the road). Noah Thomasson's last-minute basket provided the difference against the Buckeyes.
Homecourt edge: Tickets sold out: 'A majority were taken by Indiana State fans'
NIT start time
Semifinals, Tuesday, April 2, 2024
No. 1 seed Indiana State vs. No. 2 Utah, 7 p.m. ET
No. 1 Seton Hall vs. No. 4 Georgia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Championship game, Thursday, April 7: 7 p.m. ET
What channel is the NIT on?
TV: ESPN.
Streaming: SiriusXM Channel 84.
Indiana State key players
Robbie Avila (17.3 points, 38.9% 3-pointers, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists); Ryan Conwell (16.6 points, 41.9% 3s, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals); Isaiah Swope (15.8 points, 1.3 steals); Jayson Kent (13.7 points, 8.2 rebounds); Julian Larry (10.7 points, 45.7% 3s, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals).
Utah key players
Ben Carlson (17.0 points, 37.6% 3s, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocked shots); Gabe Madsen (13.8 points, 38.7% 3s, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals); Deivon Smith (12.7 points, 7.1 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals); Cole Bajema (8.9 points, 39.1% 3s); Keba Keita (8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocked shots).
Seton Hall key players
Kadary Richmond (15.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.2 steals); Dre Davis (14.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals); Al-Amir Dawes (14.6 points, 37.8% 3s, 1.1 steals), Dylan Addae-Wusu (8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals); Jaden Bediako (8.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocked shots).
Georgia key players
Noah Thomasson (13.1 points); Jabri Abdur-Rahim (12.2 points, 35.6% 3s, 3.5 rebounds); R.J. Melendez (9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals); Justin Hill (9.6 points, 3.2 assists); Silas Demary Jr. (9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals).
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Where is NIT final four? Here's who will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse
