Florida State, Michigan Advance To Nit Championship Showdown

Wed., March 26, 1997

Associated Press

James Collins matched his career high with 29 points, Kerry Thompson added 20 and Florida State advanced to its first National Invitation Tournament final Tuesday night with a 71-65 overtime victory over Connecticut.

The Seminoles (20-11) will play Michigan, a 77-62 winner over Arkansas, on Thursday for the championship. The matchup will be the first in basketball between Michigan and Florida State.

Florida State’s Thompson, playing with a dislocated finger, made a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 59 and force the overtime.

Freshman Richard Hamilton scored 26 points to lead the Huskies (17-15).

Collins made 8 of 12 3-pointers for Florida State, which defeated Syracuse and West Virginia of the Big East on the road earlier in the tournament.

Center Randall Jackson, who came in averaging 18.3 points in the tourney, was held to eight on 2-for-11 shooting.

But Collins and Thompson picked up the scoring slack and denied UConn, the 1988 NIT champion, a second trip to the tournament final. Florida State was also able to erase the ugly memory of its last meeting against Connecticut, a 79-61 loss on national television.

Michigan 77, Arkansas 62

The Wolverines had breakfast with former President and alumnus Gerald Ford and then went out and beat Arkansas.

With Ford cheering from a luxury suite, Maurice Taylor scored 19 points and added a career-high 15 rebounds for Michigan (23-11).

Louis Bullock and Jerod Ward added 15 points apiece for the Wolverines, who have won six straight games following a five-game losing streak that cost them a spot in the NCAA field.

Kareem Reid scored 19 points to lead the Razorbacks (18-13), and Pat Bradley added 10 points. Arkansas will play Connecticut in Thursday night’s third-place game.

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Florida State, Michigan Advance To Nit Championship Showdown

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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