Watching the game and the way it played out with Jimmy Chitwood hitting the last shot to win the game will make this win our version of that movie. Great job by the staff and the players and it confirmed we should have been in the big dance.
Hoosiers
- Thread starter hallgrad80
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Yep. Also wonder if St Johns players and other schools that declined the NIT had second thoughts after seeing the fun our team had. Hinkle is our house lol. Made it more special to win in such iconic venue.
It was certainly a dramatic season. This team was down and out at 5-4 and looked terrible against average power conference teams. Who saw us turning it around to get to 13-7 in the Big East? Heck most of us here didn’t think we’d finish .500 in the BE last summer with this short roster.
We stayed healthy so the stunning lack of depth didn’t kill us despite a physical style of play, and our coach and core were aligned. We watched it come together.
We went 20-8 the rest of the way. Had some great moments, showed resiliency in choosing to play in the NIT and winning it after the disappointment of being second team out of the NCAA Tournament. Memorable season.
We stayed healthy so the stunning lack of depth didn’t kill us despite a physical style of play, and our coach and core were aligned. We watched it come together.
We went 20-8 the rest of the way. Had some great moments, showed resiliency in choosing to play in the NIT and winning it after the disappointment of being second team out of the NCAA Tournament. Memorable season.
You could also make the argument that Oklahoma was the only team who declined that was above us anyway based on regular season performance. Many on that decline list weren’t good teams either bc this year the selection process for the NIT changed. The PAC 10 teams? Maryland? Indiana? Woof.
And this NIT Championship Game itself was a GREAT college basketball game. It had buzz bc it was exactly what the NIT is there for - to allow the teams just out to show something. NCAA Tournament worthy caliber game and competitiveness for sure; that level of energy. Great crowd too even if partial.
The Johnnies fans are too busy admiring all that they are.
Leave them alone. They have a lot to look forward to when they spend 750k on Cliff and he goes for 10pts, 6RPG and they miss the tournament again
I’m sure Dylan had a hell of a lot more fun on this side of the border than with his old school! Just saying!
Think of the exposure pitino potentially took from his players Well the hall got that as at least this NIT final had more juice than any in recent memory.
Well they did infact bring out a few of the actors including the one who played Chitwood during one of the commercial breaks inside Hinkle.
Did not think I'd enjoy watching the NIT as much as I did. Great game by both teams and ballsy finish by the Hall. I thought for sure it was over after ISU stretched the lead to 7 with 3 mins left. Yes ISU helped the cause by chucking some braindead early shot clock 3s, but holding a team scoreless over the final 3 minutes of a game is great no matter how you slice it. Fun stuff.
The Championship game elevated the general perception of the tournament into one that was a good watch for the fan especially the way the final game played out.
As Hoops Weiss says today, hope the NCAA semis are as exciting as our game.
Not only that, but winning it meant more to me than I ever would have expected. I was surprisingly emotional about it, and no, I don't usually do more than channel-surf to the NIT final in other years. That was unexpected - how much I wanted to win it, and how much it meant.
By the way, unless there's something I'm forgetting, this is the first time Seton Hall has ever beaten a 30-win team.
