INDIANAPOLIS — The calendar might say April, but March Madness was on full display in the NIT championship game Thursday at Butler’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
After forcing its second overtime of the tournament, Chattanooga knocked off top-seeded UC Irvine 85-84 to win its first NIT championship in the first meeting between the two programs.
Senior wing Garrison Keeslar hit the game-winner for the Mocs (29-9) on a mid-range jumper with 11 seconds left in OT, but it was the final play of the game that sent the large contingent of Chattanooga fans into a frenzy.
MOCS LEAD!
— NIT (@NITMBB) April 4, 2025
They have foul shots coming while up one with 2.7 to go! pic.twitter.com/NDwMueaL2X
With 2.7 seconds left and having to go the full length of the court, UC Irvine’s Devin Tillis launched a Hail Mary pass. Somehow, 7-foot-1 center Bent Leuchten corralled the pass with one hand. Looking over his shoulder, Leuchten saw a wide-open Jurian Dixon on the baseline and dropped a Nikola Jokic-like pass off to Dixon, but Dixon’s shot at the buzzer fell just short.
“I’m just thinking about our defense on that last play,” joked Chattanooga coach Dan Earl. “I can’t help myself, that’s how I’m built. But I’m so thrilled for the guys. You talk about the original disappointment of not making the (NCAA) tournament, to turning the page and seeing how appreciative the guys are. I’m just proud of them, and proud that we could finish this off and they can each call themselves champions.”
"Can you believe that finish?"
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 4, 2025
"Yes, yes. Because that's what we've had for 3 days."
Mike Corey and Fran Fraschilla react to Chattanooga's dramatic win over UC Irvine in the NIT Final. pic.twitter.com/kv5OMG07WP
Keeslar scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half and overtime, and added his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Senior guard Trey Bonham and redshirt freshman Collin Mulholland both scored 19 for Chattanooga and junior guard Honor Huff added 14 points.
“We knew we had a special group of guys that had a chance to make a run in the NIT,” Keeslar said. “Honestly, for us, we didn’t want this to end. This is a great group of guys. This is special. You don’t get that very often. Even when it went to overtime, I looked at the guys and was like, ‘We couldn’t have written it any better. We get to play five more minutes of basketball with each other.’”
