Field Level Media
19 Mar 2023, 02:25 GMT+10
Colorado expected to be playing at New Mexico in the second round of the NIT but instead they are hosting upstart Utah Valley on Sunday night in Boulder, Colo.
The Wolverines (26-8) pulled off an impressive upset of the second-seeded Lobos, 83-69, on Wednesday night to set up a matchup with Colorado. Utah Valley won't be intimidated by the altitude or the venue, either; the Wolverines have gone 11-5 on the road this season.
If Justin Harmon can repeat his performance from the first round of the NIT then Utah Valley has a chance to keep its season going. Harmon had a career-high 32 points in the win over New Mexico and earned the praise of head coach Mark Madsen.
"I was really proud of Justin Harmon," Madsen said. "Ever since he's come to campus, the wins have been stacking up for us. He's a winner and came out (Wednesday night) locked in. He brings our team a Chicago toughness."
The third-seeded Buffaloes (18-16) have put a disappointing regular season behind them and are focusing on a run in the NIT. They started with a 65-64 win over Seton Hall on Tuesday night that came down to a defensive stop in the final moments.
Julian Hammond III scored the winning points on a layup with 20 seconds left off a slick feed from Jalen Gabbidon, a graduate transfer from Yale. Gabbidon has shaken off various injuries in his lone season with Colorado to keep his last year of eligibility going.
He is determined to get the most out of his final college games.
"This is it. I'm going to put everything out there. If I have a rough shooting day, so be it," Gabbidon said. "I'm going to do everything I can with the time on the floor -- grabbing boards, playing defense, trying to get other guys shots. Just doing anything I can to win games. That's all that matters."
The winner of Sunday night's matchup will play fourth-seeded Cincinnati in the quarterfinals and be a victory away from advancing to Las Vegas for the NIT semifinals.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Long Beach Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Long Beach Star.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
NEW YORK, New York - Monday's trading session saw mixed performances across U.S. and global markets, with several major indices posting...
OMAHA, Nebraska: With Congress considering cuts totaling around US$1 trillion to Medicaid over the next decade, concerns are rising...
MOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...