FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Boogie Ellis scored 23 points and Memphis never trailed after a fast start to beat Mississippi State 77-64 in the NIT championship game Sunday, giving the Tigers a title in Penny Hardaway’s third season coaching his alma mater.
It is the first NIT Men's Basketball Championship for a program from The American. SMU was the runner-up in 2014.
After just missing out on their first NCAA Tournament since 2013-14, the Tigers went into the NIT as a No. 1 seed and won college basketball’s oldest postseason tournament for the second time. They also were NIT champs in 2002.