MBI participant Texas A&M in NIT finale versus Xavier

2022 Myrtle Beach Invitational participant Texas A&M has advanced to the finals of the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden by posting a 72-56 win Tuesday over Washington State.

With the victory, the 27-12 Aggies of the Southeastern Conference will be challenged by Xavier (22-13) of the BIG EAST Conference Thursday at 7 p.m. (ET) for the 2022 NIT title.  In Tuesday’s first semi-final games, the Musketeers posted an 84-77 win over St. Bonaventure.  Thursday’s title game will be televised by ESPN.

Tuesday’s win was Texas A&M’s second over the Cougars as Washington State won the first game between the two teams on its home floor in Pullman in December 1997.  The Aggies’ first victory was 55-51 at the 2012 CBE Classic in Kansas City

Xavier and Texas A&M have played only once with the Musketeers defeating the Aggies 98-86 in the 1965 All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City.

Texas A&M is making its first appearance in the NIT since 2015 and eighth participation all-time with an 11-7 record in the event as the Aggies will be playing in the finals for the first time.

Texas A&M, which has now won 11 of its last 12 games with its only setback being to Tennessee in the SEC post-season finale, is one of four schools in the 2022 Myrtle Beach Invitational field that have competed in the 2022 post-season.

Boise State (27-8), the Mountain West Conference’s regular- and post-season champions, and Chicago Loyola (25-8), the Missouri Valley’s post-season winners, competed in the NCAA Championships.  Colorado (21-12) participated in the NIT where the Pac-12 school lost to St. Bonaventure in the first round.

Other schools set to compete in the 2022 Myrtle Beach Invitational are Charlotte (17-14, Conference USA), Tulsa (11-20, American) and UMass (15-17, Atlantic 10).  One more school will be added to the field before the announcement this summer of the bracket.

The fourth annual Myrtle Beach Invitational will be played on November 17, 18 and 20 at the HTC Center on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S. C.  All games will be televised across the ESPN networks during Feast Week.

Owned and operated by ESPN Events, tickets for the Myrtle Beach Invitational will be available for purchase this summer following the announcement of the complete tournament schedule. In the meantime, fans can secure up to $25 off each all-tournament ticket by signing up for the pre-sale at http://www.myrtlebeachinvite.com.

Past Myrtle Beach Invitational champions include UCF (2018), Baylor (2019) and Utah State (2021), which defeated Oklahoma in the finals.  Both Utah State and Oklahoma competed in the 2022 NIT with 2021 Myrtle Beach Invitational participants Davidson and New Mexico State playing in the NCAA Championships.