Alabama slips past Colorado, to face Wichita State for title

NEW YORK -- Alabama is making sure Anthony Grant stays focused on his own team rather than watching his former team's incredible NCAA Tournament run.

After all, the Crimson Tide are playing for a championship.

JaMychal Green scored 22 points, Trevor Releford made the go-ahead basket in the closing seconds, and Alabama withstood a late rally to beat fellow No. 1 seed Colorado 62-61 in the National Invitation Tournament semifinals Tuesday.

Releford finished with 13 points and six assists for the Crimson Tide (25-11), who advanced to play Wichita State on Thursday for the tournament title.

"We're excited," Grant said. "Obviously we're disappointed when we didn't reach one of our goals, to go to the NCAA Tournament, but our guys turned the page quickly."

Coincidentally, one of the last NCAA at-large berths went to Virginia Commonwealth, Grant's former team. The Rams have turned their good fortune into the feel-good story of March, winning a game in the "First Four" and then riding a string of upsets to the Final Four in Houston.

Grant has said he's proud of the job his former players have done this postseason. Jamie Skeen, who transferred into the program before Grant left, scored 26 points in VCU's upset of No. 1 seed Kansas. Grant also recruited Bradford Burgess, whose layup in overtime beat Florida State, and Joey Rodriguez, who had 12 points and 11 assists in a third-round upset of Purdue.

The Rams' success is almost certainly bittersweet for Grant, especially after Alabama was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. He's been asked almost as much about them as his current team, one that's trying to make its own history.

The Crimson Tide have been to the NIT semifinals six times and never won the title.

"I'm glad that we have a chance to play for a championship," Releford said.

Alabama trailed 61-60 with 12 seconds left when the freshman slipped along the baseline and scored the go-ahead basket.

After a timeout, Colorado got the ball into the hands of sophomore star Alec Burks, whose off-balanced shot at the buzzer clanked off the rim.

Burks finished with 20 points and Cory Higgins had 13 for Colorado (24-14).

■ Wichita State 75, Washington State 44 -- Garrett Stutz came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points as Wichita State romped past Washington State in another impressive performance that put the Shockers in the NIT championship game.

Stutz also had 11 rebounds for Wichita State (28-8), which surpassed the 1954 team for the most wins in school history.

Reggie Moore and DeAngelo Casto scored nine points apiece to lead Washington State (22-13). Leading scorer Klay Thompson matched a season low with six points, 16 below his season average.