To be frank, the men's National Invitation Tournament has utterly bewildered fans this year.The semifinals feature two No. 4 seeds, a No. 6 seed and a No. 8 seed, which is incredible considering that this is a 32-team tournament and the field is split up into four groups of eight, so no team is seeded higher than No. 8.No No. 1 seed or No. 3 seed even made the quarterfinal round, and only one No. 2 seed (Illinois) made it that far.That being said, we still have an interesting duo of semifinal games and some solid talent remaining.Here's a look at the semifinal schedule, some picks and a deeper dive into the top players on each NIT semifinal team.Semifinals Schedule and PredictionsMatchupDate and Time (ET)TelevisionLocationPredictionNo. 6 Georgia Tech vs. No. 8 CS BakersfieldTuesday, March 28, 7 p.m.ESPNMadison Square GardenGeorgia TechNo. 4 Central Florida vs. No. 4 TCUTuesday, March 28,9 p.m.ESPNMadison Square GardenUCFCentral FloridaSophomore guard B.J. Taylor has scored 21.7 points per game for Central Florida in the NIT. He averages 17.6 points per game this season, which leads all Knights.His best performance occurred against Illinois State in the second round of the NIT, as he scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half to help UCF overcome a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the Redbirds, 63-62. Taylor hit two free throws with one second remaining in the game to give UCF the win. In fact, he hit all 11 of his shots from the charity stripe that night. His team needed all of them.UCF has won nine of its last 10 games, with its lone loss occurring against eventual American Athletic Conference champion SMU in the tournament semifinals.The Knights are one of the best defensive teams in Division I, ranking 18th in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com. That's due in large part to 7'6" sophomore center Tacko Fall, who averages 2.5 blocks per game in addition to 11.0 points and 9.7 boards.With Taylor and Fall leading the way, UCF will be a tough out in the NIT.TCUJunior guard Kenrich Williams has been the player to watch for the Horned Frogs in the NIT. He posted a triple-double in an 86-68 quarterfinal win over Richmond, scoring 11 points, grabbing 14 boards and dishing 10 assists.The game prior to that was also remarkable, as he went for 15 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.Williams can fill up the stat sheet on any given night, and his teammate, junior forward Vladimir Brodziansky, can fill up the scoring column.Brodziansky is averaging 19.5 points in his last two NIT games. He also scored 28 against Kansas in an 86-80 loss in December. The 6'11"Brodziansky leads the team 13.8 points per game.The Horned Frogs are the highest-ranked team remaining in the NIT field, per KenPom.com, as they sit 38th.Georgia TechJunior center Ben Lammers is throwing a block party in the NIT, as he swatted eight Ole Miss shots in the quarterfinals and five against Indiana in the first round.For the season, Lammers blocks 3.3 shots per game alongside 14.4 points and 9.3 rebounds a night. He also shoots 52.3 percent from the field.Freshman guard Josh Okogie is the Yellow Jackets' leading scorer, as he gets 16.1 points a night to go along with 5.3 rebounds. Okogie, who made the ACC All-Freshman Team, has been fantastic in the NIT, averaging 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.The Yellow Jackets have had a bizarre season, as they've beaten North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame but also lost to Penn State, which finished under .500 and 12th in the Big Ten. Their up-and-down campaign is trending in the right direction now, however.CS BakersfieldThe Roadrunners have a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging at least 10.2 points per game. Senior forward Jaylin Airington leads the team with 14.4 points per night.CS Bakersfield's balance has been the key to its NIT success. Most notably, the Roadrunners' leading scorer in the tournament is not one of those four players. Rather, it's junior guard Shon Briggs, who posted seven points per game this season but has scored 17 points a night in the NIT.The Roadrunners only lost to SMU by six points in Dallas and to Arizona by 12 points in Tuscon, which are both respectable results. They finished in first in the Western Athletic Conference but lost to New Mexico State in the WAC finals. Don't be too surprised if CS Bakersfield goes all the way.
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