Pitino Previews Wednesday's NIT Quarterfinal Game Against Missouri State
March 21, 2006 | Men's Basketball
March 21, 2006
2006 NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT LINKS
2006 NIT Bracket in PDF Format | Official NIT Website | Ticket Info
Quarterfinal Opponent: Missouri State University
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino and freshman forward/center Brian Johnson met with members of the media on Tuesday to preview the Cardinals' NIT quarterfinal game against Missouri State on Wednesday at Freedom Hall. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Cards are 20-12 overall and enter the game following a 74-68 win over Clemson in an NIT second round game on Monday at Freedom Hall. Senior Taquan Dean led four U of L players in double-figures with 20 points against the Tigers in front of a Freedom Hall crowd of 12,344, the second largest crowd of the 2006 NIT behind only the 14,132 for U of L's first round win over Delaware State.
Missouri State, 22-8 overall, enters the game following a dramatic 60-59 second round win over Houston on Monday night in Springfield, Mo. The Bears, which finished tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a record of 12-6, accepted a bid to the NIT after missing out on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament despite finising the season ranked 21st in the RPI, the highest ranking of any team ever not to be invited to the NCAA tournament.
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the NIT semifinals scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
NIT QUARTERFINAL
GAME FACTS - Louisville (20-12) vs Missouri State (22-8)
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 9 p.m. EST
Site: Freedom Hall (18,865)
Television: ESPN2
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst.
UL National Ranking: unranked.
Series History: This is the first-ever meeting between U of L and Missouri State.
Next U of L Game: With a win over Missouri State, U of L will advance to the semifinals of the NIT scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
