March 14, 2012

2012 Postseason NIT Bracket

STANFORD, Calif.- Stanford's postseason path for a return trip to New York's Madison Square Garden will include at least one more home game.

Stanford (22-11, 10-8 Pac-12) will now host Illinois State (21-13, 9-9 Missouri Valley) on Monday, March 19, at 8:30 p.m. in the second round of the Postseason NIT.

Tickets for Monday's game are now on sale. Lower level reserved seating is priced at $15 and upper level general admission is $10. Admission is free for all students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gostanford.com, by calling 1-800-STANFORD or in person at the Stanford Athletic Ticket Office.

The third-seeded Cardinal is now the highest remaining seed in its region, after seventh-seeded Illinois State upset second-seeded Mississippi 96-93 in overtime earlier tonight. In addition, top-seeded Arizona was also shocked on its home floor, falling to eighth-seeded Bucknell, 65-54.

The combination of those results means Stanford would not have to leave Maples Pavilion until the semifinals, which are slated for March 27-29 in New York.

Should Stanford defeat Illinois State, a potential quarterfinal round matchup would take place on Wednesday, March 21, against the winner of Bucknell/Nevada.

Stanford is coming off a 76-65 win over Cleveland State in the opening round on Tuesday. The Cardinal is attempting to become just the fourth team to play at Madison Square Garden in both the Preseason and Postseason NIT during the same season. Also participating in the Preseason and Postseason NIT in the same year were Notre Dame (1999-00), Syracuse (2001-02) and Ohio State (2007-08).