TCU, Ga. Tech meet in NIT final

TCU and Georgia Tech will meet for the NIT title on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden after their first-year coaches exceeded expectations.

TCU (23-15) was picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll. Georgia Tech (21-15) was picked 14th in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I’ve said it many times: It’s a modern miracle. I can remember like yesterday watching our first workouts. If you told me we’re playing on Thursday for the NIT championship, I would say you’re crazy,” said Georgia Tech’s Josh Pastner, who began coaching at age 16 while growing up in Kingwood.

Under Jamie Dixon, TCU has improved by 11 wins over last season. In other news: • Rashawn Thomas scored 23 points, becoming the first player in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi history to surpass 2,000, and the Islanders beat the University of Maryland, Baltimore County 79-61 in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament at Baltimore. The Islanders (24-11) play at home Friday in the CIT championship game against Saint Peter’s, a 7751 winner over Furman in the other semifinal.

• Justin James scored 21 points to lead host Wyoming to an 81-57 victory over Coastal Carolina, forcing a third and deciding game in the finals of the College Basketball Invitational. The final game is Friday in Laramie, Wyo.

• Michael Berglund and John McMillon homered, and the No. 4 Texas Tech baseball team (24-4) breezed to a 14-7 win over visiting Texas Southern (8-17).