No matter that it was the National Invitation Tournament instead of the NCAA, the crowd went crazy for Iowa.
In a game played at Moline, Ill., the Hawkeyes defeated DePaul 96-87 Wednesday night in the first round of the NIT before 10,678 fans.The game was shifted across the Mississippi River, about 65 miles from the Iowa campus, because Carver-Hawkeye Arena was booked with the NCAA wrestling championships.
Iowa (20-11) won in its first postseason NIT appearance. Chris Kingsbury scored 19 points.
New Mexico State 97, Colorado 83
At Las Cruces, N.M., the Aggies began the game with a 15-0 run and never trailed. Rodney Walker scored 28 points for New Mexico State (24-9).
Coppin State 75, St. Joseph's 68
At Philadelphia, the game began more than an hour late because Coppin State's Mario McGriff shattered a backboard while dunking during warmups. In overtime, Keith Carmichael made two 3-pointers for the Eagles (21-9).
Marquette 83, Auburn 71
At Auburn, Ala., freshman Aaron Hutchins, a reserve guard averaging only 3.4 points, scored a career-high 20 for Marquette (18-11).
Penn State 62, Miami 56
At State College, Pa., Penn State rallied from a 20-point deficit with 14 minutes left. John Amaechi had 21 points for the Nittany Lions (18-10).
Canisius 83, Seton Hall 71
At Buffalo, Canisius ended a 14-game losing streak against teams from the Big East. Craig Wise had 28 points for the Golden Griffins (19-12).
Washington St. 94, Texas Tech 82
At Pullman, Wash., Isaac Fontaine scored 32 points for the Cougars (17-11).