INDIANAPOLIS – On Nov. 3, we started with 280 Division-I mid-major programs. On April 3, we are down to just one remaining. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane defeated New Mexico inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday night to grab its 30th win of the season and advance to Sunday’s NIT Championship Game against Auburn, which took down Illinois State.
The Golden Hurricane got hot shooting early and held on; meanwhile, the Redbirds had no answers for the Auburn offense. Here’s a few notes on the night:
Tulsa 74, New Mexico 69
When you
look at the stat sheet, the one thing that stands out is how much doesn’t stand out. No Tulsa player scored more than 13 points or grabbed more than six rebounds, but it was a full team effort. Everybody on the floor made big plays down the stretch, allowing Tulsa to hold off a potential New Mexico run in the final minutes.
Miles Barnstable got Tulsa started with a few early treys, and by the end of the opening half, the Golden Hurricane had made nine. They finished the game with 12, but the ones that they made in the second half came in huge moments.
With the Lobos back within two, big man Tyler Behrend connected from beyond the arc, then threw down a dunk, giving a huge boost.
“Each possession matters and Tyler plays so hard,” Ade Popoola said. “It gives us all a spark.”
Popoola hit four threes. David Green made key plays down the stretch, and Tylen Riley put together enough tough plays, including a go-ahead basket in transition with three minutes left.
Head coach Eric Konkol discussed the Golden Hurricane’s resiliency.
“The conversations in the huddle say a lot about this group,” he said. “Because there were some moments, we had a frustrating stretch, but I was really really proud of the guys and their conversations because they wanted this so badly. To get this type of win, in this type of game, in April, you’ve got to be able to have that type of resiliency collectively.”
As for the Lobos, it was an uncharacteristically poor shooting night for Jake Hal, and for the team as a whole. Hall shot 1-for-10 from deep but found other ways to score. But maybe if he was able to just get one more shot to fall, it would be a different ballgame. Eric Olen’s first season was definitely a success, and New Mexico has to try to retain some of its stars.
Auburn 88, Illinois State 66
The first five minutes of the second semifinal game were some of the most exhilarating minutes of basketball I’ve watched all season. With a raucous pseudo-home crowd behind them, Illinois State drilled a bunch of early threes, and ignited a bunch of “I-S-U” chants, as they led 16-15. But from there, Auburn was too big, too strong and too athletic. By halftime, the Tigers led by 13, and that lead kept extending in the second.
Illinois State watched the Tigers run away from them in the second half. Former George Mason star Keyshawn Hall was dominant, and former Drake guard Kevin Overton drilled five threes. For a Redbirds team that came into the season with high expectations, being able to rally the fanbase with an NIT run, bringing that crowd to Hinkle gave coach Ryan Pedon a sense of pride.
“I’ve coached 26 years, I’ve never coached a game in April, this is awesome,” Pedon said. “So, what I walk out of this building feeling is disappointment that we couldn’t have played better tonight. But I think my experience tells me that I’m damn proud of my team and where they came this year, where it’s going.”
The Redbirds have made back-to-back runs in postseason tournaments, winning the CBI last year, and now making it to the NIT semifinals. In that program, they’re probably hoping that it sets the stage for an NCAA Tournament run next year.
The team retained as much as any mid-major program last year, and many contributors, including five of the six players that started at least 17 games, have remaining eligibility. Pedon is aiming to retain that amount of talent again.
“I think what we’re building is special,” Pedon said. “I’m still holding on to the old model. And maybe in two years, I’ll be completely jaded, I don’t know. But I’m going to fight like hell to continue to build a program, not a team, a program. We’re not going to retain everybody, but that is able to regenerate itself in a consistent fashion year after year after year to put ourselves in position to compete for the (Missouri Valley) Championship.”
Final
Mission #AnybodyButAuburn continues into Sunday’s championship game. Tulsa, you are our final hope. Tip-off will be at 8 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
