Honor Huff and Other Stars From the NIT’s Opening Night

We had an inkling that Honor Huff was that dude. Back in the SoCon Tournament, after hitting a big shot against Furman, Huff looked at the camera and said, “I do that.” Or something of that nature. I didn’t write down his exact words in the moment. I am not Honor Huff’s in-game stenographer. That sure sounds fun, though.

Anyway, we believed Huff, and when he had a really bad game last night in Murfreesboro, we remained patient. The guy’s a shooter, after all. Remember when people used to call pretty much every shooter mercurial? As the clock ticked down on the third overtime, Huff had made just one shot all night, despite a couple free throws. But shooters shoot, and Huff kept shooting, and when he found himself guarded by Essam Mostafa with the shot clock winding down, he drilled the three that put this three-overtime game away.

It was a heartbreaker for Mostafa, the large Egyptian man who threw the Blue Raiders over his shoulders and carried them as far as his big ol’ legs could take them. We feel for Mostafa. For Huff, though, and the rest of the Chattanooga squad? Their NIT dream is just beginning. What a thing to get to witness in these young mens’ lives.

Kent State 75, St. Bonaventure 56

Up in Olean a little earlier in the night, Kent State silenced the St. Bonaventure crowd.

Things started so well for the Bonnies. Good atmosphere, Woj in-game interview…all that school’s favorite things. An hour and a half later, they were the first team eliminated from the National Invitation Tournament. It happens fast, folks.

Jacksonville State 81, Georgia Tech 64

In Atlanta, I don’t know if Georgia Tech was caught off guard by Jaron Pierre Jr. or if they just couldn’t stop him. The Gamecock point guard and Conference USA Player of the Year played every minute but one. He torched the Yellow Jackets. He had Jacksonville State closing this out from the under-4 timeout onward. On a night when ACC freaks were hoping to do a lot of celebrating (because Stanford won comfortably, not for any other reason), Jaron Pierre Jr. came in and stole the show in Atlanta.

Oklahoma State 89, Wichita State 79

The second-closest game so far stopped being close with about ten minutes to go. Wichita State just couldn’t keep up. Gallagher-Iba Arena might not have been very full, and this might not have been the Game of the NITe of the Week or anything, but Oklahoma State kept the Shockers from shocking them. At this early stage, that’s all you can ask.

Arkansas State 103, Saint Louis 78

The 2024–25 Saint Louis Billikens died as they lived: With one of their guys having a good night (Avila this time), the other two getting forced into doing too much, and a better mid-major smacking them around. Arkansas State looked like the real deal in Jonesboro. They looked like they knew the rules to a game Saint Louis was still trying to figure out. We love Schertz & Co., but it was a bleak ending to a shuffle of a year. Although: Maybe we’ll look back on this and realize the Red Wolves are just a wagon.

Santa Clara 101, UC Riverside 62

Moving west, Santa Clara…they might still be scoring points. Talk about twisting the knife. I wonder if Sendek told the guys about South Alabama before they took the court.

Stanford 87, Cal State-Northridge 70

And last of all, Stanford held off CSUN in Palo Alto. Not much to say about the Cardinal or Broncos right now, but they’ve earned themselves another game. Maybe we’ll talk about them then.

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NIT Bracket Challenge notes: After seven games, thirteen brackets remain perfect out of 1,437 entries. Four remain winless. 17% picked SMU to win it all, followed by UC Irvine at 10%, George Mason at 9%, San Francisco at 9%, Dayton at 8%, Santa Clara at 7%, Stanford at 6%, and North Texas at 6%. Those are evidently the eight to watch.

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Looking ahead to today, Day 2:

7:00 PM EDT: UAB at Saint Joseph’s (ESPN+)

I don’t know Yaxel Lendeborg’s status. Not right now, anyway. I think he’s healthy enough to play, but he’s got the NBA Draft to think about, where he’s a fringe prospect, the kind of guy where health might really help. Also, playing through pain is different in the NIT. We’re supposed to be playing through love in this tournament.

Great matchup if he plays. Good one if he doesn’t.

7:00 PM EDT: Samford at George Mason (ESPN+)

A stylistic clash in our nation’s capital’s suburban sprawl. Bucky Ball against 1994. Urgency against insurgency. The three-point shot against the two-point shot.

7:00 PM EDT: Dayton at FAU (ESPN2)

Down in Boca, Dayton’s trying to get through to the part of the tournament where they get to host. We went looking tonight, and while the Nutter Center’s got the rodeo in town (giddyup), UD Arena appears open on Saturday and Sunday. So, it really is just one game Dayton needs to win before they get treated like a 1-seed again, barring a surprise. Dangerous place to play it, though. The NIT logo looks really good beside those palm tree silhouettes. Add in a few Dayton rumors bopping around, and this is setting up well for the Owls.

(Update: The Ohio high school boys state championships are indeed at UD Arena on Friday and Saturday, and that’ll keep Dayton from hosting on Sunday, too. So Dayton’s going to have to win two on the road for UD Arena to see NIT action.)

8:00 PM EDT: North Alabama at Bradley (ESPN+)

Speaking of disappointment, frustration, and exasperation, Darius Hannah opted out of opting out for Bradley. I know we mentioned this yesterday, but it bears repeating. We don’t know where Bradley’s mindset will land heading into tomorrow night’s tip. We do know UNA will be hungry for human flesh. Welcome to the NIT, friends.

8:00 PM EDT: Furman at North Texas (ESPN+)

Furman’s treaded water the last few years, but they’re not bad, and when North Texas goes cold, they go ice cold. If PJay Smith’s been guarded the way the Mean Green will guard him, it happened a long time ago.

9:00 PM EDT: Northern Iowa at SMU (ESPN2)

In Dallas, the NIT favorite finally takes the floor. Will SMU prove itself worthy of the crown? What tricks does Ben Jacobson have up his sleeve? SMU’s owning the role of tournament favorite, but it’s always earned, never given when it comes to the NIT. We’ve got others who could make this a two-horse race, pony people.

10:00 PM EDT: Northern Colorado at UC Irvine (ESPN+)

I don’t know that this counts as NIT After Dark, but it’s a fun setup. Northern Colorado can put the ball in the hoop. UC Irvine does a whole bunch of things well and is also named the Anteaters, which never gets old. It’s a transitional game. It gets us ready for…

11:00 PM EDT: Utah Valley at San Francisco (ESPNU)

Underdog vs. favorite. Have-not vs. kind-of-have. Former juco vs. small, Catholic, West Coast school in a large, secular, East Coast country. This is the Dons’ big chance. If Utah Valley puts a scare into them, the scare will be significant.

(I haven’t seen anything new about Marcus Williams’s suspension.)

11:00 PM EDT: Loyola Chicago at San Jose State (ESPN2)

And on the deuce? The final game of the first round. Fitting that it would involve yet another Atlantic 10 team, and moving that it’s being played on the West Coast. The Barking Crow will reunite this nation, all in support of the NIT.

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