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Alabama and Colorado do battle in NIT semifinals by the Sports Network
New York, NY (Sports Network) – A pair of top-seeded squads face off in the 2011 NIT semifinals tonight, as the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Colorado Buffaloes meet at Madison Square Garden.
The victor will advance to face the Wichita State/Washington State winner in Thursday’s title game.
Alabama, which hails from the SEC, earned its spot in the semifinals with victories over eight-seeded Coastal Carolina (68-44), fourth-seeded New Mexico (74-67), and, most recently, second-seeded Miami-Florida (79-64). The Crimson Tide is making its sixth trip to the NIT Final Four. The program is 20-13 all- time in NIT play, and has compiled a 24-11 record thus far this season.
Big 12 Conference competitor Colorado is playing in the NIT for the 10th time and has compiled a 10-7 tourney record over that span. In this year’s event, the Buffaloes dispatched with eight-seeded Texas Southern (88-74), fourth- seeded California (89-72) and seventh-seeded Kent State (81-74) to advance to the semis. They are 24-13 on the season.
Tonight’s game marks the first-ever meeting between Alabama and Colorado in men’s basketball.
Freshman guard Trevor Releford led Alabama to victory over Miami with a career-high 22 points. The Crimson Tide held a decisive 36-26 advantage at the break, before allowing the Hurricanes to open the second half on an 8-0 run. Alabama regrouped, however, reeling off a 14-4 run midway through the period to earn the double-digit victory. Senario Hillman added 17 points in 23 minutes of play for the victors, while Tony Mitchell finished with 16 points and nine boards and JaMychal Green had 14 points. In all, the Crimson Tide shot 54.5 percent from the field. Mitchell and Green represent an imposing inside presence for Alabama, with the former ranking first on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (7 rpg), and the latter ranking second in scoring (15.4 ppg) and first in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Releford adds 11 ppg, as the Tide scores 67.3 ppg. Mitchell and Green lead the squad to a plus-3.1 rebounding margin. Alabama’s true strength comes at the defensive end of the floor, where it holds opponents to 59.2 ppg.
Colorado’s recent victory over Kent State did not come easily, as the game featured 12 ties and 19 lead changes. In the end, the Buffaloes prevailed due to their efficient offense, as they shot 49.2 percent from the field and committed just eight turnovers. Despite battling flu-like symptoms, Alec Burks and Cory Higgins each competed valiantly. Burks finished with a game-high 25 points, while Higgins tallied 13 points and a team-high five assists. Marcus Relphorde was also effective for the Buffs, as he netted 17 points, while freshman Andre Roberson turned in his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 boards. Colorado established itself in the paint, posting a 38-28 advantage on the glass. Still, make no mistake; it is Colorado’s potent offense which drives the team to success. The Buffaloes average a healthy 80.1 ppg. Burks leads the way at 20.5 ppg and 108 assists, while Higgins contributes 16.1 ppg and Levi Knutson and Relphorde add 11.6 and 11.4 ppg, respectively. Defensively, Colorado allows an average of 73.6 ppg.
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