North Texas gets revenge in NIT championship game
Updated March 30, 2023 - 11:26 pm

The North Texas Mean Green celebrate with their trophy after their team won the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Tylor Perry (5) dives to keep possession on offense while UAB Blazers center Trey Jemison (55) and guard Tavin Lovan, right, attempt to steal the ball during the first half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

UAB Blazers guard Jordan Walker (10) passes around North Texas Mean Green guard Kai Huntsberry (10) during the first half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

UAB Blazers forward Ty Brewer (15) looks to pass while North Texas Mean Green guard Rubin Jones (15) defends during the first half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green forward Jayden Martinez (24), guard Aaron Scott, second from left, and guard Rubin Jones (15) celebrate after their team scored during the first half of a NCAA college championship basketball game against the UAB Blazers in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green forward Moulaye Sissoko (14) dunks during the first half of a NCAA college championship basketball game against the UAB Blazers in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Tylor Perry, tournament MVP, celebrates after scoring the three-pointer that secured his team a win during a NCAA college championship basketball game against the UAB Blazers in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

The UAB Blazers bench reacts as their team is losing in the final seconds of a NCAA college championship basketball game against the North Texas Mean Green in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

The North Texas Mean Green celebrate as their team wins the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

The North Texas Mean Green celebrate after their team won the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Kai Huntsberry (10) shoots against UAB Blazers guard Jordan Walker (10) during the first half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

UAB Blazers guard Jordan Walker (10) drives around North Texas Mean Green guard Kai Huntsberry (10) during the second half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

UAB Blazers guard Tavin Lovan (3) dunks while North Texas Mean Green guard Aaron Scott (1) and guard Kai Huntsberry (10) watch during the second half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Tylor Perry (5) shoots against UAB Blazers forward KJ Buffen (5) during the second half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Kai Huntsberry (10) secures the rebound on a shot by UAB Blazers center Trey Jemison (55) while Mean Green forward Moulaye Sissoko (14) watches during the second half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

The North Texas Mean Green celebrate after winning the National Invitation Tournament championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Kai Huntsberry cuts the net after his team won the National Invitation Tournament championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Rubin Jones (15) pass while UAB Blazers guard Jordan Walker (10) and forward Ty Brewer (15) defend during the second half of a NCAA college championship basketball game in the National Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Tylor Perry hugs associate head coach Ross Hodge after their team won the National Invitation Tournament championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

The North Texas Mean Green hold up their trophy after their team won the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Tylor Perry (5) holds his piece of net up after his team won the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green guard Rubin Jones, right, embraces head coach Grant McCasland after their team won the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

North Texas Mean Green head coach Grant McCasland holds up the net after his team won the National Invitation Tournament college basketball championship game against the UAB Blazers on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt
The North Texas defense did it again.
Two nights after holding Wisconsin without a field goal for the final nine minutes for a comeback victory in the semifinals, the Mean Green took the NIT championship by allowing Alabama-Birmingham to make just two shots over the final 10:43 in a 68-61 win at Orleans Arena on Thursday night.
“It’s just a whole team effort when we do that,” senior guard Kai Huntsberry said. “It’s not just one person stopping anybody. It’s everybody.”
UAB led 49-45 with 10:44 to play after Jordan “Jelly” Walker, the fourth-leading scorer in the nation, got to the rim and scored in traffic.
The Blazers (29-10) would only make two field goals the rest of the way.
“They just keep constant pressure on you,” UAB coach Andy Kennedy said. “They force you into some tough shots, some tough decisions.”
Kennedy said he thought his team did a good job rallying from a 37-27 halftime deficit by finding a way to create some live ball turnovers and getting points before the Mean Green (31-7) could get set. The Blazers had trouble once the game got bogged down.
Huntsberry made a short jumper and tournament MVP Tylor Perry followed with a 3-pointer that rattled in from the top of the key after an offensive rebound, and North Texas was back in front.
After UAB went back ahead on a pair of free throws by Walker and a jumper by Eric Gaines off a turnover, Huntsberry and Perry again answered with two free throws of their own and another 3-pointer in transition that gave the Mean Green the lead for good with 6:22 remaining.
Then it was up to the nation’s top scoring defense to hold on to it.
“You come to our practices, and you will see why we’re good at defense because we actually practice it every day,” coach Grant McCasland said. “There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t practice it.
“You get a chance to go out there and see what actually happens in practices is what happens in games, and there’s nobody that practices harder in the country than these guys. That’s why you see the results that you see.”
Perry said winning the tournament and picking up another MVP trophy provided some validation after there were some critics of his being named Conference USA player of the year during the regular season.
“I feel like it’s a statement,” he said. “I know there was a lot of rah-rah about the player of the year and who it should have been, and I felt like a lot of people wrote me off and felt like I didn’t deserve it. Give credit to (Walker), an outstanding player who makes it tough on all of us.
“But this is definitely a statement, and I wanted to prove tonight that I feel like I’m the best player on the best team with the best teammates and coaches. I feel like we showed that tonight with our team.”
Perry finished with 20 points, five steals and three assists in the championship game. Huntsberry had 21 points and six rebounds while helping hold Walker to 6-for-14 shooting.
It was the fourth time the teams met this season. North Texas won the two regular-season meetings, but UAB eliminated the Mean Green from the Conference USA tournament and ended their hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament.
“It means everything to us,” Perry said of winning the NIT. “I can’t put this feeling into words. You can never explain what it feels like to cut down nets, and to be able to do it with this group is unbelievable. We’re in the history books forever. Nobody can take this from us.
“The moment UAB beat is, coach told us we would be playing in the NIT. We had no choice but to come out and play hard. We didn’t want to end our season with that feeling again. I feel like UAB took something from us and we definitely got it back tonight.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.