Wichita State Knocks Off Alabama to Win NIT Tournament

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

J.T. Durley and Graham Hatch each had twelve points as the Wichita State Shockers knocked off number one seeded Alabama to win the NIT tournament, 66-57. Hatch made four three’s and was 100-percent for the game, including hitting two big ones in the final moments of the game to seal the deal on a 29-8 successful season for the Shockers.

“We obviously, as a team, have gone through a roller coaster,” Hatch said. “We came back from those disappointments, we pulled together, and it’s just magical. It’s unbelievable.”

They beat their record of most wins in a season, but had to get past Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Charleston, and Washington State to get there. The Crimson Tide is just another team tick-marked off their listed.

“Give them credit. They made the plays they needed to make,” said Alabama coach Anthony Grant. “I’m really proud of what our guys were able to accomplish over the course of the season. We grew, and we learned over the course of the year, and I think as a basketball team we got better, and really as a coach, that’s what you want to be able to do.”

Tony Mitchell led the now 25-12 Crimson Tide with 13 points and twelve rebounds. Star, JaMychal Green, struggled and got into foul trouble. He could only finish with twelve points, despite being the team’s leading scorer.

“JaMychal is a key player to our team, he’s a threat inside,” Charvez Davis, who had ten points in the game, said. “We had to keep playing when he got out. We just didn’t make enough plays.”

Congrats to a successful, Wichita State. Enjoy it!