Overview
- Auburn, which shot 60.7% from the field Thursday, beat Illinois State 88-66 to reach the NIT championship.
- Keyshawn Hall led the Tigers with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
- Relentless defense forced 18 Illinois State turnovers that Auburn turned into 26 points.
- Tulsa beat New Mexico 74-69 to set up a Sunday 8 p.m. ET final at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
- Auburn entered as the NIT’s top seed under first-year coach Steven Pearl and advanced with wins over South Alabama, Seattle and Nevada while seeking its first title in the event.