The Stanford Cardinal dominated the championship game of the NIT Tournament, knocking off the Minnesota Golden Gophers by a score of 75-51. Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright both had 15 points, while Anthony Brown added 11 and six rebounds. Minnesota shot just 37% from the field and went 3-for-13 from behind the arc.
The victory itself was impressive, but when you consider that the Cardinal will only lose two seniors this summer, the future looks very bright in Palo Alto.
The loss of starting forward Josh Owens and center Andrew Zimmerman will be felt due to the size and strength they provided whenever on the court, but the rest of the roster will return. Randle, a freshman guard, could be a favorite for Conference Player of the Year given his strong debut campaign, as will Aaron Bright as he begins his junior campaign. Combine these proven scorers with a solid recruiting class and Stanford could very well be an NCAA Tournament team next season.
For more on Stanford and their hoops program, head on over to Rule of Tree.