The Little Dances: Day 5

We all know that March Madness is all about the real NCAA tournament. But while those lucky souls that managed to earn themselves a bid to the Big Dance sit back and wait for Thursday, the rest of the country takes part in what I like to call the Little Dances -- the NIT, the CBI, and the CIT.

Here's what happened on Tuesday:


There were only two games on Tuesday night, but one -- Ole Miss and Texas Tech -- turned into a classic. The Red Raiders took an early 22-12 lead, but the Rebels quickly erased that using a 17-2 run, taking a five point lead into half time. Ole Miss pushed that lead to 48-39 midway through the second half before Mike Singletary and Bryan Reese took over. They combined to score 24 of Tech's 28 points in a 28-9 run that gave the Red Raiders a 67-57 lead with just 2:29 left.

Ole Miss would come storming back, as Terrico White capped an 11-1 run and tied the game with 27 second left on a jumper. D'Walyn Roberts missed a layup at the end of regulation that would have won the game. The first overtime would see both team take a lead before Murphy Holloway eventually forced a second overtime with a tip-in with nine seconds left. Once against, Tech missed a chance to win it when a John Roberson three was off the mark.

In the second OT, Ole Miss went up by four, but two threes -- with a pair of free throws by Chris Warren in between -- forced a tie with ten seconds left. But Ole Miss would take advantage of the final shot as Murphy Holloway scored on an and-one layup with just 3 seconds left for the win.

N.I.T

Quarterfinals

#2 Ole Miss 90, #5 Texas Tech 87 2OT
#4 North Carolina 60, #2 UAB 55


Wednesday's Slate of Games

N.I.T

Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 24
7:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Rhode Island at #1 Virginia Tech
9:00PM - ESPN2 - #3 Dayton at #1 Illinois


C.B.I

Semifinals
Wednesday, March 24
7:00PM - HDnet - Boston at Virginia Commonwealth
9:00PM - HDnet - Princeton at St. Louis


C.I.T

Semifinals
Wednesday, March 24
7:00PM - Pacific at Appalachian State
9:00PM - Creighton at Missouri State