Runnin' Utes Take on Penn State in NIT Finals TONIGHT

Thursday, March 29

New York, N.Y.

5:00 PM

University of Utah

Penn State

Runnin' Utes Take on Penn State in NIT Finals TONIGHT

3/29/2018 7:56 AM | Men's Basketball

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Utes playing in first NIT Final since 1974

NIT SEMIFINALS: Utah (23-11) vs. Penn State (25-13)

WHERE: New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)

WHEN: Thursday, March 29

TIP-OFF: 7 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MT

TELEVISION: ESPN2 / WatchESPN (Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla)

RADIO: ESPN700 / Utah Radio Sports Network (Bill Riley and Jimmy Soto)

LIVESTATS: StatBroadcast

Utah Game Notes

THE GAME
The Utah Runnin' Utes (23-11) will wrap-up the 2017-18 basketball season taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions (25-13) in the 2018 NIT Championship game this Thursday, March 29, at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off between the Utes and Nittany Lions is set for 7 p.m. ET in New York.

COVERING THE RUNNIN' UTES
Thursday's contest against the Nittany Lions will be televised live on ESPN2. Bob Wischusen will call the action and Fran Fraschilla will be on-hand to offer color commentary for the broadcast.

Fans can also follow the action on-line by logging onto watchespn.com or watching via smart phones and tablets using the ESPN or WatchESPN Apps, which can be downloaded at the Apple Store, Google Play Store or Amazon Apps Store.

Additionally, the contest can be found on the Utah Sports Radio Network (ESPN 700). Bill Riley will provide play-by-play commentary, with the assistance of in-game analyst Jimmy Soto.

Live stats will be provided for the game with links found at www.UtahUtes.com.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE UTES
Despite trailing by as many as 13 points midway through the first quarter in Tuesday's semifinal match-up with Western Kentucky, Utah still managed to chip away at the lead and eventually come all the way back to defeat the Hilltoppers, 69-64, Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden.

Utah and WKU headed into the fourth quarter all knotted up, 51-51, and despite the Utes making just 2-of-9 from the field, Utah managed to earn the five-point win from the charity stripe. The Utes knocked down 12-of-14 fourth quarter-attempts, while WKU went 1-of-6 in the period.

Justin Bibbins led the way for the Utes with a team-high 19 points, which included a perfect 12-of-12 effort from the free throw line. It marked the third time this season that Bibbins drained at least 10 points from the charity stripe. Donnie Tillman scored eight points off the bench and registered 10 of Utah's game-leading 38 rebounds.

UTES IN NIT CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
With its win over Western Kentucky, Utah advanced to the NIT Championship game for the third time in school history and for the first time since 1974. The Utes are 2-1 all-time in the NIT Final, having won the championship back in 1947.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State advanced to the NIT Championship game following its 75-60 semifinal-win over Mississippi State on Tuesday. PSU shot nearly 50 percent from the field, which included a 55 percent effort and draining 11 buckets from three-point range. The Nittany Lion defense out-scored the Bulldogs 18-11 in the first quarter and 24-12 in the second quarter, respectively, en route to a 42-23 halftime lead. MSU limited the Nittany Lions to just 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the game had been all but over at the time. Tony Carr led the way with 21 points and Shep Garner added 18 points for PSU. Lamar Stevens led the way on the boards with a team-high eight rebounds.

Carr has a team-best 19.7 points per game scoring average and 172 total assists on the season. Stevens follows with 15.2 points, while leading the team with 6.1 rebounds. Josh Reaves has tallied a team-high 73 steals on the year.

PSU averages 74.6 points per game and has a +7.8 scoring margin, yielding opposing teams to just 66.7 points per game. The Nittany Lions shoot .459 from the field, .387 from downtown and .700 from the charity stripe.

HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
The Utes and Nittany Lions will meet up for just the second time in a series that dates back to 1971. Ironically, Utah and Penn State will meet at Madison Square Garden for the second time in as many meetings. Penn State won the first-ever meeting between the two teams, downing the Utes 80-69 in the ECAC Holiday Basketball Classic back on Dec. 28, 1971. The game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York.

UTAH IN THE NIT
This marks the 44th post-season appearance in school history, and the 14th appearance for the Utes in the NIT. Utah is making its second-consecutive NIT appearance after earning an at-large bid into the tournament last season.

Following its win over Western Kentucky in the semifinal round, the Utes are now 15-12 all-time in the NIT. Utah won the NIT in 1947 as head coach Vadal Peterson's team defeated Kentucky (49-45) behind the play of Vern Gardner, who was named the tournament's MVP. The Utes reached the NIT Championship again in 1974, but fell to Purdue. Despite the loss, Mike Sojourner was named MVP.

In 1992, Utah lost in the semifinals to Notre Dame but won the third-place game against Florida. The Utes fell to Memphis in the first round of the 1992 NIT Championship.

Utah is 4-2 all-time when playing NIT games in Salt Lake City, 2-3 in NIT road games and 9-7 all-time when playing NIT games at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Runnin' Utes Square Off Against Grand Canyon in Acrisure Series Opener Tuesday Night

Saturday, November 22

Runnin' Utes Drop First Game of the 2025-26 Campaign

Thursday, November 20

Runnin' Utes Close Out Six-Game Homestand with Cal Poly Thursday Night

Wednesday, November 19

Utah Remains Undefeated With 85-77 Win Over Purdue Fort Wayne

Tuesday, November 18

Next Event

Penn State

L, 66-82

Mar 29 (Thu)

5:00 PM

Box Score Recap Box Score (PDF)ESPN2 Highlights ESPN2 Preview Live stats

Full Schedule

Justin Bibbins

/ Men's Basketball

Donnie Tillman

/ Men's Basketball

Utah: 85, Cal Poly: 92 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference

Friday, November 21

ESPN+ Feature | Utah Basketball's James Okonkwo

Thursday, November 20

Utah: 85, Purdue Fort Wayne: 77 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference

Wednesday, November 19

Utah Basketball Media Availability | 11.17.25

Monday, November 17

Upcoming Events

Recent Results