NEW YORK — Jack Nunge made the go-ahead basket with 3.1 seconds left and Xavier won its first NIT championship in 64 years Thursday night, rallying for a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M at Madison Square Garden.
Colby Jones scored 21 points for the Musketeers (23-13) and was selected the tournament’s most outstanding player. Dwon Odom added 18, and Nunge had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help Xavier erase a 10-point deficit under interim coach Jonas Hayes.
It was the last National Invitation Tournament title game at Madison Square Garden for at least a couple of years, ending a college basketball tradition that dates to 1938.
MSG won’t host the semifinals and finals in 2023 and 2024, the NIT announced Monday, saying it has started a bid process to find new sites for those years and an announcement is expected this spring.
Quenton Jackson had 23 points for the Aggies (27-13), left out of the NCAA tournament despite reaching the SEC final, where they lost to Tennessee. It was a surprising snub by the selection committee that drew criticism from Aggies coach Buzz Williams and others.