Two teams with rich basketball history meet Tuesday night when Indiana State hosts Cincinnati in the NIT quarterfinals in Terre Haute, Ind.The winner advances to the NIT semifinals April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis.Indiana State is a current member of the Missouri Valley Conference; Cincinnati won its two national championships in 1961 and ’62 while in that conference.The Sycamores (30-6), the top seed in the Upper Right Region, beat Minnesota 76-64 in the second round Sunday afternoon.Ryan Conwell led Indiana State with his sharp shooting, sinking 6 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 23 points and lead four Sycamores in double digits.Jayson Kent added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Julian Larry also had 16 points, helping Indiana State reach 30 wins for the first time since Larry Bird led the Sycamores to a 33-1 mark and the 1979 NCAA Tournament title game.”I thought we had March-level toughness and March-level concentration and I was really proud of our guys for how they competed,” Indiana State coach Josh Schertz said.”We get to play again and that’s the best part of the whole deal. We love practicing and we love competing. We love playing with each other, and now we get a chance to do it again here on Tuesday.”No. 2 seed Cincinnati (22-14) also advanced to the quarterfinals with a double-digit win at home, taking care of Bradley 74-57 Saturday afternoon.
