NEW YORK (AP) – If Buzz Peterson's tenure at Tulsa only lasts
one season, he made sure it would be a successful one.
|  | | David Shelton, left, and his Tulsa teammates hold their NIT trophy high. |
Marcus Hill scored 24 points and shut down Alabama's leading
scorer as the Golden Hurricane won the NIT championship for its
first-year coach, beating the Crimson Tide 79-60 Thursday night.
Tulsa's only other NIT title came 20 years ago, when the Golden
Hurricane beat Syracuse 86-84 in overtime in Nolan Richardson's
first year as coach.
"It's been a joy to watch," Peterson said. "It's eerie in a
way that it came 20 years after Nolan Richardson did it."
Peterson, who tied Richardson's school record for wins in his
first year, also might follow a tradition started by the Arkansas
coach, turning success at Tulsa into a big-time college coaching
job.
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NIT champs since 1970
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2001 – Tulsa
2000 – Wake Forest
1999 – California
1998 – Minnesota
1997 – Michigan
1996 – Nebraska
1995 – Virginia Tech
1994 – Villanova
1993 – Minnesota
1992 – Virginia
1991 – Stanford
1990 – Vanderbilt
1989 – St. John's
1988 – Connecticut
1987 – Southern Miss.
1986 – Ohio State
1985 – UCLA
1984 – Michigan
1983 – Fresno State
1982 – Bradley
1981 – Tulsa
1980 – Virginia
1979 – Indiana
1978 – Texas
1977 – St. Bonaventure
1976 – Kentucky
1975 – Princeton
1974 – Purdue
1973 – Virginia Tech
1972 – Maryland
1971 – North Carolina
1970 – Marquette
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Richardson, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson and Bill Self have all
left the cradle of coaches in the past 16 years for better jobs,
with Richardson and Smith winning national titles after their
stints with the Golden Hurricane.
Peterson, who spent the previous four seasons as the head man at
Appalachian State, is at the top of Tennessee's wish list and could
interview for the Volunteers' opening soon.
"Nobody has contacted me yet," Peterson said. "But if
something comes up, I'll never shut the door on anything."
Peterson added an NIT title to the one he won as a player at
North Carolina in 1982. But this was sweeter than that, he said.
"As a player, I won on the coattails of (Michael) Jordan, (Sam)
Perkins and (James) Worthy," Peterson said. "As a coach, this is
more satisfying."
If Peterson does leave Tulsa, the new coach will inherit a
talented team with seven of its top nine players returning.
Hill, one of the few seniors on the team, ended his career with
a school-record 100 wins, a trip to a regional final and the MVP of
the NIT.
"People see Tulsa and they don't know what they're going to
get," Hill said. "Once the game gets going, they realize we're a
good team. We're hungry when we play the big teams."
Kevin Johnson added 16 points, including two baskets in an 11-0
run that put the Golden Hurricane (26-11) up 59-40 with 9:28 to
play. Greg Harrington had 11 points and nine assists, and Charlie
Davis scored a season-high 10.
After nearly blowing a 20-point lead and a pair of 18-point
advantages earlier in the tournament, Tulsa led Alabama (25-11) by
at least eight points for the final 24:36 to win its second NIT
title.
Tulsa used its superior quickness to frustrate Alabama,
deflecting passes and pressuring the ball constantly.
The Tide shot only 33 percent for the game compared with 53
percent for the Golden Hurricane.
The Golden Hurricane held Alabama's leading scorer, Rod
Grizzard, scoreless for the first 33 minutes. Grizzard had his shot
blocked when he went inside and threw up airballs from 3-point
range.
"You could see he wasn't into it," Hill said. "I came out
hungry as a dog and I saw meat. I was not going to let up for one
minute."
Erwin Dudley scored 17 points and Terrance Meade added 14 to
lead the Crimson Tide, which went to the NIT final with five
sophomore starters and last year's high school player of the year
in reserve.
"We had one of those nights where our better players
struggled," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said. "We never could
get anything going. We got in a hole early and Tulsa played
terrific."
Tulsa broke out to a 14-point lead in the first half behind runs
of 11-2 and 15-3. The Tide went nearly seven minutes at one stretch
with only one field goal and trailed 36-25 at the half.
"Top to bottom, they played better than us for 40 minutes,"
said Grizzard, who scored 10 points in garbage time.
But that didn't soothe Peterson, who screamed at Jason Parker
when the guard took a wild shot with 20 seconds left in the half.
"Get over here! What are you doing? I told you to hold for the
last shot!" Peterson yelled.
That was about all that went wrong for the Golden Hurricane,
which added an NIT title to its three trips to the NCAA round of 16
in the past eight years.
In the consolation game, Memphis beat Detroit 86-71.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Alabama Clubhouse
Tulsa Clubhouse
NIT results
Calipari leads Memphis to victory in NIT third-place game
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Marcus Hill scoops up the loose ball and takes it in for the two-handed stuff.
avi: 828 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Kevin Johnson shows off his strong interior moves and soft shooting touch.
avi: 1096 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Dante Swanson picks Gerald Wallace's pocket and streaks the other way for the slam.
avi: 985 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Gerald Wallace goes baseline and scores the scoop shot from behind the glass.
avi: 828 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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