Another No. 1 seed in the NIT fell Wednesday night during the second day of tournament action as Morehead State upset Clemson 68-64. The Eagles hit 11 3-pointers and made 15 of 16 free throw to overcome an early 29-14 deficit. The outcome marks a disappointing end to the season for the Tigers, who were among the First Four Out of the NCAA Tournament field.
Clemson started 18-4 and held a multi-game lead in the ACC standings at one point but finishes 23-11. The Tigers weren’t the only No. 1 seed eliminated in the first round of the tournament, though, as No. 1 seed Rutgers fell 88-86 vs. Hofstra in overtime on Tuesday.
Things went a little better for one of the bracket’s other No. 1 seeds on Wednesday as Oklahoma State eliminated Youngstown State 69-64 behind double-doubles from Tyreek Smith, Quion Williams and Moussa Cisse. Arguably the most-surprising result of Wednesday’s action came from the Sunshine State, though, as UCF crushed Florida 67-49, sending the Gators’ first season under coach Todd Golden to an ugly conclusion.
While an NIT appearance marks a consolation prize of sorts for programs that harbored at-large hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid entering Selection Sunday, it’s a momentous occasion for others.
The 32-team event will culminate with semifinals on March 28 in Las Vegas and a championship game to follow on March 30. Historically, the event’s semifinals and final were contested at Madison Square Garden, but the NCAA announced in January that Las Vegas would host those games this season with Indianapolis landing the event in 2024. Here is a look at the full bracket.
2023 NIT key dates
First Round: March 14-15
Second round: March 18-19
Quarterfinals: March 21-22
Semifinals: March 28 (Orleans Arena in Las Vegas)
Championship: March 30 (Orleans Arena in Las Vegas)
All times Eastern
2023 NIT first round schedule
Games in the first three rounds to be played at the higher-seeded team’s home arena
Upper Left Bracket
No. 1 Oklahoma State 69, Youngstown State 64
No. 2 Sam Houston vs. Santa Clara | Wednesday, 9 p.m.
No. 3 North Texas 69, Alcorn State 53
Eastern Washington 81, No. 4 Washington State 74
Lower Left Bracket
No. 1 Oregon vs. UC Irvine | Wednesday, 11 p.m.
No. 2 Liberty 62, Villanova 57
No. 3 Wisconsin 81, Bradley 62
UCF 69, Florida 49
Upper Right Bracket
Hofstra 88, No. 1 Rutgers 86
No. 2 Colorado 65, Seton Hall 64
No. 3 New Mexico vs. Utah Valley | Wednesday, 10 p.m.
No. 4 Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech | Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Lower Right Bracket
Morehead State 68, No. 1 Clemson 64
No. 2 Vanderbilt 71, Yale 62
No. 3 Michigan 90, Toledo 80
No. 4 UAB 88, Southern Miss 60
