Illinois State and Old Dominion will square off Monday in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
The No. 4 seed Illinois State defeated Green Bay in the first round of the NIT 69-56 and were led by guard Paris Lee, who typically averages seven points per game, with 18 points, 6 assists, four rebounds and four steals.
The 1-seeded Old Dominion Monarchs defeated Charleston Southern in the first round 65-56 and were led by senior center Jonathan Arledge who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Trey Freeman had a triple double for Old Dominion with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Illinois State Redbirds barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament this year after they were the fourth seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Redbirds were able to defeat 1-seed Wichita State in the semi-finals, but then fell in a close game to the Northern Iowa Panthers in the championship that would’ve given them an automatic bid, 69-60. This is Illinois State’s 13th NIT appearance, but they’ve never made it passed the Elite Eight. They’ll hope to change that this postseason.
The Old Dominion Monarchs were one of the “first four out” along with Colorado State, Temple, and Richmond after a 24-7 season and earned themselves a 1-seed in the National Invitation Tournament after missing out on the NCAA Tournament. Old Dominion went into the Conference USA Tournament as a 3-seed behind Louisiana Tech and UTEP, likely needing to win the championship or come close to get a big to the NCAA Tournament. The Monarchs fell to 6-seed Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals, squashing their chances at the tournament after UAB won the Conference USA Tournament championship.
Now, Old Dominion and Illinois State will duke it out in competition for the secondary NCAA postseason crown. Here’s how you can watch live:
Date: March 23
Start Time: 8:00 PM ET
Location: Norfolk, VA
Arena: Ted Constant Convocation Center
TV Info: ESPNU
Live Stream: WatchESPN
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