Jackson State Takes On Mississippi State In NIT 1st Round

Jackson, MS -- It's not the tournament either team had planned to play in, but Jackson State University and Mississippi State University will face off Tuesday night in Starkville in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. Both the Tigers and Bulldogs had hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament this year. JSU went 17-1 in the SWAC regular season, and MSU lived on the bubble for two weeks leading up to selection Sunday.

State had a chance to beat Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Championship Sunday, but the Wildcats forced overtime when Demarcus Cousins scored as time ran out. Kentucky eventually won the game 75-74 in overtime. JSU won the SWAC regular season title, but lost to Grambling in the first round of the conference tournament. The two Mississippi teams will tip-off Tuesday at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN-U.

MSU to host JSU in NIT on Tuesday

Mississippi State and Jackson State will face each other in a first-round game of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. A few hours after State lost 75-74 to No. 2-ranked Kentucky in the SEC Tournament final in Nashville, the Bulldogs received one of the four No. 1 seeds in the 32-team NIT. The MSU-JSU game will start at 9 p.m. (CDT) and be televised on ESPNU. The MSU-JSU winner will face either William & Mary or North Carolina, the reigning NCAA champion, in a second-round game.

By virtue of getting a No. 1 seed, Mississippi State (23-11) can host games up until the NIT semifinals, which are played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. State advanced to the NIT semifinals in 2007, where it lost to West Virginia. Jackson State (19-12) received its spot in the NIT by result of it winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title. JSU blew through the SWAC with a 17-1 record, winning its first regular-season championship since sharing the title with Mississippi Valley State in 1996. It was the Tigers’ first outright championship since 1993. JSU went into the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, but was knocked out in the first round with a 65-57 loss to No. 8 Grambling State.

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