NIT semifinal scores, highlights: Auburn dominates Illinois State, Tulsa wins

Two spots in the NIT championship game were on the line Thursday night inside one of men's college basketball's sacred venues.

And both were secured by No. 1 seeds, who make up the entirety of the Women's Final Four and half of the Men's Final Four field.

No. 1 Tulsa was the first team to punch its ticket to Sunday's NIT title game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a 74-69 win over No. 1 New Mexico. However, the biggest story of the night at Hinkle Fieldhouse came in the second semifinal from No. 1 Auburn, which beat No. 4 Illinois State 88-66.

The Tigers, in front of former head coach Bruce Pearl and Auburn legend Charles Barkley, showed off their high-powered offense and depth in their fourth straight win of the NIT after they missed out on the Men's NCAA Tournament.

Keyshawn Hall was phenomenal for Auburn, as he finished with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field. Kevin Overton was a perfect 5-of-5 in 3-point attempts for 16 points. The flashiest stat of the night from Auburn, perhaps, was 26 points off 18 caused turnovers.

Auburn and Tulsa will now meet Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which is right down the street from where the Men's NCAA Tournament national championship game will be played Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, for the right of being a national champion.

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, scores and highlights from Thursday's NIT semifinal doubleheader. Follow along below for a recap:

NIT semifinal live scores

This section will be updated throughout the games

NIT semifinal live updates

Auburn advances to NIT finals

It was all Auburn from start to finish. The Tigers led for 35:32 of the game and are off to their first-ever NIT championship game with a convincing 86-64 win over No. 1 Illinois.

Auburn closing in on NIT championship berth

Auburn is just over two-and-a-half minutes away from a date with No. 1 Tulsa in the NIT championship on Sunday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Filip Jovic finishes alley-oop dunk

Filip Jovic gets the steal, passes it off to Tahaad Pettiford, who then gives the alley-oop dunk opportunity for Jovic. The Tigers' big man finishes the pass off from Pettiford for another dagger.

It remains all Auburn in this one.

Auburn holds comfortable lead at under-eight media timeout

Keyshawn Hall misses just his sixth shot of the night, and there's a stoppage on the court for the under-eight media timeout. Hall's missed shot comes during a two-plus-minute scoring drought for Auburn in the last 2:26.

Illinois State, on the other hand, has made each of its last three shots from the field. The recent success from the field for the Redbirds may be too late, as Auburn leads 72-53 with 7:49 left to go in the second half. If Illinois State is able to bring this one closer, it will have to be more disruptive on defense and keep Hall and Kevin Overton quiet.

Kevin Overton hits fifth 3-pointer

Kevin Overton continues to be unbeatable from the 3-point line, as he knocks down his fifth triple of the game to put Auburn up 67-43. He is 5-of-5 in 3-point attempts and has 16 points on the night to go along with three rebounds and two assists.

The Tigers' ability to knock down the 3-point shot has helped them blow this game open. Auburn is 11:39 away from its first NIT title game.

Illinois State offense frigid cold

Illinois State's offensive struggles in the second half continue as Boden Skunberg misses his 3-point attempt. The Redbirds haven't scored in well over six minutes and find themselves trailing 64-41 to Auburn with just about 12 minutes to go in the half.

Tahaad Pettiford extends Auburn lead to 20 points

Tahaad Pettiford hits a long 3-pointer to push Auburn's lead to 20 points, its largest of the night. It's all Auburn in this one as Illinois State has no answer for the Tigers' high-powered offense that is shooting 66% from the field on the night.

The Tigers have hit 4-of-5 from the field in their last five shot attempts.

Pettiford joins Kevin Overton and Keyshawn Hall in double-figures with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Ty'reek Coleman ends Illinois State shooting drought

Ty'reek Coleman hits a 3-pointer to get Illinois State on the board in the second half. The Redbirds are now 1-of-3 from the field to start the half.

Auburn starts scoring in second half

Who else but Keyshawn Hall! The Auburn guard hit a step-back 3-pointer for the first points of the second half to push the Tigers' lead to 54-38 with 18:08 remaining in the second half. He has 20 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting.

Second half underway

Illinois State calls an early timeout in the second half as the Redbirds were tied up underneath the basket. Both teams missed their first shots from the field, and each has a turnover in the first 1:24 of the second half.

Red Panda performing at NIT semifinal

The viral sensation and American Treasure Red Panda is delivering the halftime entertainment for Auburn-Illinois.

Auburn leads Illinois State at halftime

Ty'Reek Coleman beats the buzzer with a circus shot layup for Illinois State to end a 7-0 run from Auburn down the stretch. The Tigers take a 13-point lead into the locker room at Hinkle thanks to 27 combined points from Keyshawn Hall and Kevin Overton.

Auburn impressively recorded nine steals in the first half and shot 65.6% from the field. The Tigers' fast-paced offense caused Illinois State some trouble, which resulted in Auburn scoring 22 points off 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Kevin Overton stays perfect from 3-point line

Kevin Overton hits the 3-pointer in front of the Illinois State bench out in transition, and extends Auburn's lead to 49-36. It's the fourth consecutive 3-pointer made by Overton, and the seventh of the night from the Tigers.

Auburn holds 10 point lead at final media timeout

Keyshawn Hall puts the offensive rebound back in for his 13th point of the night to give Auburn its largest lead of the night at 10 points going into the final media timeout of the night. Hall has been phenomenal for Steven Pearl's team to start this one, as he is 6-of-7 from the field with a made 3-pointer.

It's 44-34 Auburn with four minutes to go until halftime.

KJ Overton gets block

KJ Overton is doing it all for Auburn. He is 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and now gets a block on Ty Pence's layup attempt under the basket.

The Tigers hold a seven-point lead at the under-eight media timeout thanks to Tahaad Pettiford's jumper before Overton's block. Both teams are putting on an offensive clinic, with Auburn holding a 71% field goal shooting percentage and Illinois State at a 68% mark from the field.

Auburn pushes lead to nine

Tahaad Pettiford is starting to get into a groove as he drains his first 3-pointer of the game. He then knocks down the free throw after drawing the foul to give Auburn its largest lead of the night at nine points at 33-24.

Illinois State calls timeout

Ryan Pedon appears to have seen enough from his defense, as he calls a timeout after Blake Muschalek gets the layup to roll in. Illinois State continues to trail Auburn by five points with 10 minutes to go. The Tigers have hit 6-of-7 in their last shot attempts.

Auburn extends lead with run

Tahaad Pettiford does it all himself to extend Auburn's lead to 21-16 going into the under-12 media timeout, as he gets the steal and the layup. It's a quick 6-0 run over the last 1:08 of the game for the Tigers.

Illinois State continues to hang in there with Auburn, but the Redbirds will need to clean up turnovers if they want to stay in it for the long haul. If not, it could get ugly quick.

Both teams have four made 3-pointers to start the game.

Auburn, Illinois finding 3-point shot early

A 3-pointer from Kevin Overton gives Auburn a 10-6 lead over Illinois State, but the Redbirds immediately respond with a triple of its own from Johnny Kinziger. It's a 10-9 Auburn lead at the under-16 media timeout after Keyshawn Hall turns the ball over for the Tigers.

Both teams are off to a strong shooting start from the field, particularly from the 3-point line. Auburn is 4-of-6 shooting with a 2-of-3 mark from beyond the arc, while Illinois State is 3-of-5 and 3-of-5, respectively.

Illinois State wins tips, Auburn opens scoring

Illinois State wins the opening tip but the Redbirds turn the ball over immediately into the hands of the Tigers' defense. Auburn then erupts a quick 5-0 run on a jumper from Elyjah Freeman and a 3-pointer from Keyshawn Hall to take the early lead.

Turnovers will be a key for both teams in this one.

Auburn-Illinois State starting lineups for NIT semifinal

Here's the starting lineups for Auburn and Illinois State in Thursday's NIT semifinal:

Auburn

• Tahaad Pettiford (Guard)
• Kevin Overton (Guard)
• Elyjah Freeman (Guard)
• Keyshawn Hall (Guard)
• Filip Jovic (Forward)

Illinois State

• Mason Klabo (Guard)
• Landon Wolf (Guard)
• Johnny Kinzinger (Guard)
• Boden Skunberg (Guard)
• Chase Walker (Forward)

Tulsa advances to NIT final

Too little, too late for New Mexico. The Lobos fought to the bitter end, including a steal trailing 74-69 with 10.6 seconds left, but couldn't sink either of their 3-point attempts. The win gives Tulsa 29 wins on the season, the most since the 1999-2000 team that went to the Elite Eight.

New Mexico cuts it to one possession

New Mexico has fought back to make it a three-point game following a Tomislav Buljan 26-foot 3-pointer. The Lobos take their final timeout with 59 seconds remaining.

Tulsa extends lead to 8 points with 2:09 to play

The shots need to start landing for New Mexico as they fall to an eight-point deficit with 2:09 left to play and the clock winding down on their season. Tulsa's Tylen Riley sinks two free throws to give the Golden Hurricane a 67-59 lead.

New Mexico calls timeout with two point game

JT Rock gets the layup to roll in, and New Mexico calls a timeout. Rock's bucket brings it back to a two-point deficit for the Lobos with 5:34 to play in the second half.

New Mexico has tossed everything and the kitchen sink at Tulsa in the second half, especially on the defensive end, as it has caused eight turnovers while holding Tulsa to 8-of-22 shooting thus far.

Jake Hall scores 16th point of night

Jake Hall continues to be the hot hand for New Mexico as he hits the fadeaway jumper to bring it back to a two-point game going into the under-eight media timeout. He is up to a game-high 16 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, including a 7-of-9 mark from the charity stripe.

Tulsa leads 52-50 with 7:53 remaining in the second half.

Tulsa knocks down back-to-back 3-pointers

Tulsa hits back-to-back 3-pointers from Ade Popoola and KJ Martin Jr. to build its lead up to six points at 52-46 with 9:36 remaining. It's a nice find for the Golden Hurricane's offense after starting 0-of-6 on 3-point attempts in the second half.

Tulsa, New Mexico struggling offensively

Both teams continue to struggle to find their shot in the second half, as they've both made just four shots apiece in the first eight minutes and change. Tulsa is 4-of-14 from the field to start the half, while New Mexico is 4-of-19.

Part of the Golden Hurricane's struggle in the second half has been their inability to hit a 3-pointer. They are 0-of-6 from beyond the arc after going 9-of-18 in the first half.

New Mexico cuts deficit to two points

It continues to be all New Mexico coming out of halftime. The Lobos make it a two-point game against Tulsa with a self-started 6-0 run over the last 2:51 from Jake Hall.

Tulsa holding onto lead at media timeout

New Mexico is chipping away at its deficit, but Tulsa holds a six-point lead at the under-16 media timeout of the second half. Though the Lobos have outscored the Golden Hurricane 7-6 to open the half, they've missed each of their last four shots from the field.

Both teams are shooting 2-of-7 from the field in the first 4:17 of the second half.

New Mexico-Tulsa second half underway

New Mexico begins the second half with a turnover from Uriah Tenette. Tulsa then grabs its largest lead of the night at 38-29 with a layup from David Green. This is not the start the Lobos needed to the second half.

Tulsa leads New Mexico at halftime

Tulsa takes a 36-29 halftime lead over New Mexico into the locker room. After the Lobos reclaimed a two-point lead at the 3:28 mark off a 3-pointer from Tajavis Miller, the Golden Hurricane ended the half on an 11-2 run, including an 8-0 run in the last 2:18.

The Golden Hurricane's defense and 3-point shooting were the storylines in the first half. Tulsa finished 9-of-18 in 3-point attempts in the first half, while causing four turnovers.

New Mexico 6-0 run closes gap with Tulsa

Here's a nice run by New Mexico, which goes on a 6-0 run to close the gap to 20-18 before Tulsa scores its next basket, a 3-pointer. The Lobos got points from each of Tomislav Buljan, Uriah Tenette and Luke Haupt in the run.

Miles Barnstable hits third 3-pointer

Miles Barnstable is feeling it from deep as he drains his third 3-pointer of the night out of the under-16 media timeout to extend Tulsa's lead to 11-7 with 13:33 remaining in the first half.

Tulsa extends lead with back-to-back 3-pointers

Tulsa answers to New Mexico's extended run with an extended run of its own. Miles Barnstable hits back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Golden Hurricane's run to 6-0 and lead to five points at 8-3 with 15:37 remaining in the first half.

New Mexico goes on extended run

It's an unanswered 3-0 run from the Lobos thanks to a pair of three throws from Jake Hall. Tulsa has not scored since David Green opened the scoring just a minute into the first half.

Tulsa opens scoring

David Green opens up the scoring at Hinkle with a second-chance opportunity bucket inside the paint.

Tulsa wins tip

The first NIT semifinal is underway with Tulsa winning the tip-off.

Pregame

Tulsa starting lineup for NIT semifinals

Here's the Golden Hurricane's starting lineup for Thursday's NIT semifinal:

New Mexico starting lineup for NIT semifinals

Here's the Lobo's starting lineup for Thursday's NIT semifinal:

Jason Eck, New Mexico football send good luck message to Lobos in Indy

New Mexico football coach Jason Eck shared a good luck message to Eric Olen and the Lobos men's basketball program ahead of their NIT semifinal vs. Tulsa. The Lobos are in the NIT semifinals for the third time in program history.

Tulsa arrives on site

The Golden Hurricane have arrived at Hinkle Fieldhouse for Thursday's NIT semifinal. Tulsa brings 29 wins on the season into Thursday's game, which are the second most in a season in program history. 

Tulsa is playing in its 12th NIT appearance, and its first since 2014-15. It has won the NIT twice in program history, first in 1981 and then again in 2001.

What times are NIT semifinals today?

• Date: Thursday, April 2
• Times: 7 p.m. ET (Game 1) | 9:30 p.m. ET (Game 2)
• Locations: Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)

Tulsa and New Mexico will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday in Game 1 of the NIT semifinals at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Then Auburn and Illinois State will tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET in Game 2 of the night.

Where to watch NIT semifinals today? TV channel, streaming options for Tulsa-New Mexico and Auburn-Illinois State

• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

ESPN will broadcast both NIT semifinals on Thursday between Tulsa-New Mexico and Auburn-Illinois State. Matt Schumacker and Fran Fraschilla will call the game from the court, while Taylor Tannenbaum will report from the baseline.

Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

NIT bracket

Here's a look at how Auburn, Tulsa, New Mexico and Illinois State all made it Indianapolis:

Auburn Region

First Round

• No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67
• No. 2 Nevada 89, Murray State 75
• Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71
• No. 4 Seattle 67, St. Thomas 52

Second Round

• No. 1 Auburn 91, No. 4 Seattle 85
• No. 2 Nevada 73, Liberty 63

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Auburn 75, No. 2 Nevada 69

Albuquerque Region

First Round

• No. 1 New Mexico 107, Sam Houston 83
• No. 2 Cal 91, UIC 73
• Saint Joseph's 69, No. 3 Colorado State 64
• George Washington 79, No. 4 Utah Valley 78

Second Round

• No. 1 New Mexico 86, George Washington 61
• Saint Joseph's 76, No. 2 Cal 75

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69

Winston-Salem Region

First Round

• No. 1 Wake Forest 82, Navy 72
• No. 2 Dayton 80, Bradley 66
• UNCW 68, No. 3 Yale 67
• No. 4 Illinois State 79, Kent State 58

Second Round

• No. 1 Wake Forest 78, No. 4 Illinois State 75
• No. 2 Dayton 80, UNCW 61

Quarterfinals

• No. 4 Illinois 61, No. 2 Dayton 55

Tulsa Region

First Round

• No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT)
• No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80
• No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70
• UNLV 75, No. 4 UC Irvine 72

Second Round

• No. 1 Tulsa 77, UNLV 66
• No. 3 Wichita State 96, No. 2 Oklahoma State 70

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Tulsa 83, No. 3 Wichita State 79

Where are the NIT semifinals taking place?

The NIT semifinals are once again being held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The home of the Butler Bulldogs has served as the host site of the NIT semifinals since 2024.

NIT semifinal odds, picks and predictions

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday, April 1

Tulsa-New Mexico

• Spread: New Mexico -3.5
• Over/under: 160.5
• Moneyline: New Mexico (-185) | Tulsa (+150)

Auburn-Illinois State

• Spread: Auburn -6.5
• Over/under: 148.5
• Moneyline: Auburn (-285) | Illinois State (+230)