Seton Hall erased a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes of the NIT Championship Game for a 79-77 win over Indiana State on Thursday night inside Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pirates captured their first NIT title since 1953 with a win in a thrilling matchup between teams who just missed the NCAA Tournament cut and were awarded No. 1 seeds in their regions.
Dre Davis scored the go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining for Seton Hall, and his team got a stop on the defensive end to seal the win. Indiana State guard Ryan Conwell missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would've been the game-winner.
Seton Hall star Al-Amir Dawes scored a game-high 24 points, and Kadar Richmond added 21 in the win as the Pirates finish with a 25-12 record.
DRE DAVIS FOR THE LEAD!!!!@SetonHallMBB x #NIT2024 pic.twitter.com/jEBvg9kcsB
— NIT (@NITMBB) April 5, 2024
Indiana State was seeking its first NIT title in program history and fell one game short of tying the single-season win record set by a Larry Bird-led team during the 1978-79 season. Indiana State guard Isaiah Swope scored 19 points, and Julian Larry added 18. Sycamores coach Josh Schertz is expected to leave after being hired as the next coach at Saint Louis
All times Eastern
2024 NIT bracket, scores, schedule
Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team's home arena
NIT Championship
April 4, Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
- No. 1 Seton Hall 79, No. 1 Indiana State 77 | Recap
Region 1
First round
- No. 1 Seton Hall 75, Saint Joseph's 72 (OT)
- UNLV 84, No. 2 Princeton 77
- Boston College 62, No. 3 Providence 57
- North Texas 84, No. 4 LSU 77
Second round
Quarterfinals
- No. 1 Seton Hall 91, UNLV 68 | Recap
Region 2
First round
- No. 1 Wake Forest 87, Appalachian State 76
- No. 2 Ohio State 88, Cornell 83
- No. 3 Virginia Tech 74, Richmond 58
- No. 4 Georgia 78, Xavier 76
Second round
Quarterfinals
- No. 4 Georgia 79, No. 2 Ohio State 77 -- Recap
Region 3
First round
- No. 1 Indiana State 101, SMU 92
- No. 2 Cincinnati 73, San Francisco 72 (OT)
- No. 3 Bradley 74, Loyola Chicago 62
- Minnesota 73, No. 4 Butler 72
Second round
Quarterfinals
- No. 1 Indiana State 85, No. 2 Cincinnati 81 -- Recap
Region 4
- VCU 70, No. 1 Villanova 61
- No. 2 Utah 84, UC Irvine 75
- No. 3 Iowa 91, Kansas State 82
- USF 83, No. 4 UCF 77
Second round
Quarterfinals
- No. 2 Utah 74, VCU 54 | Recap
Semifinals
April 2, Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis