NIT ROUNDUP Friday's games
Cincinnati 86, Charlotte 80
CINCINNATI -- Eric Hicks scored 23 points and Cincinnati shook off the disappointment of not making the NCAA tournament in a first round game. Cedric McGowan added 20 points for Cincinnati, which will host Minnesota in the second round on Tuesday. Cincinnati (20-12) is making its ninth appearance in the NIT and first since 1991 when it lost to Oklahoma in the second round. The Bearcats had been idle since losing to Syracuse on March 8 in the opening round of the Big East tournament. That loss contributed to Cincinnati being denied its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth despite being ranked No. 40 in the RPI and playing the fifth-strongest schedule in the country. Curtis Withers had 20 points and had 15 rebounds for Charlotte. The Bearcats won 14 of 22 meetings with the 49ers from 1995-96 when both teams were members of Conference USA. Charlotte is in its first season in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Jihad Muhammad scored 17 points for the Bearcats, who led by as many as 12 points in the first half. Charlotte (19-13) rallied behind Leemire Goldwire, who scored eight points, including consecutive 3-pointers, in the final five minutes of the half to make the score 40-35. McGowan's tip-in off James White's miss gave the Bearcats a 77-76 lead with 1:29 to play in the game. The Bearcats hit five free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Florida St. 67, Butler 63
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Alexander Johnson made two baskets in the final minute to lift Florida State to the win in the first round of the NIT. Johnson's jump-hook put the Seminoles ahead 64-63 with 51 seconds left. He also had a putback on a missed free throw by Ralph Sims with 19.4 seconds to play to help Florida State hold on. Avery Sheets 3-pointer with 2:22 left gave Butler a 63-61 lead. Florida State (20-9) will host defending NIT champion South Carolina on Tuesday in a second-round game. The 6-10 Johnson finished with 20 points and nine rebounds while teammate Jason Rich, who sparked an early second-half run, scored a career-best 22, including 13 in the second half. Brandon Polk led Butler (20-13) with 21 points.
Louisville 71, Delaware St. 54
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Taquan Dean scored 21 points and Louisville opened with a 12-0 run on its way to the win in the first round of the NIT. Brandon Jenkins scored 13 points for the Cardinals (19-12), who shot 50 percent from the floor for just the fifth time this season. Louisville placed five players in double figures. A weary Delaware State (21-14), whose 25 games at road or neutral sites this season included trips to UCLA, Michigan, Wichita State and Maryland, simply didn't have the firepower to keep up with the Cardinals. Tracey Worley led the Hornets with 18 points. Center Terrance Farley added a career-high 12 points for Louisville, which will host Clemson in the second round on Monday.
Associated Press
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