After a long season of hard fought wins the Stanford Cardinal find themselves in the 2012 NIT Championship game at Madison Square Garden, taking on the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the ultimate crown. The Card continue to spread the wealth on offense while staying disciplined on defense, riding a balanced attack to a 31-25 lead at the half.
Aaron Bright, Chasson Randle and Josh Owens have led the way for the Card, scoring eight, six, and five respectfully, though only two Cardinal players havent scored a point yet. They shot 43 percent from the floor as a team, though committed 10 turnovers, helping the Golden Gophers stay in the game.
Rodney Williams has put the team on his back thus far for Minnesota, scoring 12 of their 25 points in the first half. They've also turned it over nine times while shooting only 33 percent as a team.
If Stanford can keep their foot on the gas, they might just become the NIT champs of 2012.
For more on the Cardinal, make sure you check out Rule of Tree, SB Nation's dedicated Stanford blog.