The Stanford Cardinal and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are the final two teams left fighting for an NIT championship. Let's take a look at how they both got there.

Stanford was able to get to New York without having to leave Palo Alto. They beat Cleveland State 76-65, then earned another home contest against Illinois State after they upset Ole Miss. Stanford beat Illinois State in overtime, then routed Nevada in the quarterfinal. Stanford beat UMass 74-64 in the semifinal.

Minnesota got to the NIT final with three road victories: Beating La Salle 70-61, Miami (FL) 78-60, and Middle Tennessee State 78-72. They then outlasted Washington 68-67 in overtime to earn a semifinal matchup.

The game will take place at Madison Square Garden at 4 PM PT, 7 PM ET on ESPN. You can watch the game live.

For more on the Cardinal basketball team, make sure to check out Rule of Tree, SB Nation's Stanford community. To discuss more about the Gophers basketball team, go to The Daily Gopher, SB Nation's Minnesota community.