NIT 2012, Minnesota Vs. Miami Final Score: Golden Gophers Advance To Quarterfinals With 78-60 Win

The No. 6 seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers are advancing in the 2012 National Invitational Tournament, knocking off the No. 2 seeded Miami (FL) Hurricanes on Monday night, 78-60. The Golden Gophers will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday against No. 4 seeded Middle Tennessee from the Sun Belt Conference, who upset the SEC's Tennessee earlier in the night, 71-64.

Minnesota jumped out to a 12-0 lead on the Hurricanes and never trailed in their 18-point win. Miami answered the 12-0 run with an 11-0 run of their own, but the Gophers kicked it into another gear and held a double-digit lead for most of the game.

Junior guard Rodney Williams scored eight of the Gophers first 12 points and finished with a game-high 21 on 9-for-10 shooting. Andre Hollins and Joe Coleman added 14 points apiece and the Gophers shot 60-percent for the game.

Tip time for the quarterfinals match up vs. Middle Tennessee is 7 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN2. Winner will play the winner of the Oregon-Washington game.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

NIT Tournament 2012, Minnesota Vs. Miami: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Minnesota Golden Gophers couldn't manage a run to the NCAA tournament thanks to a mediocre regular season, but they looked decent in their first NIT Tournament matchup against La Salle, winning 70-61.

On Monday the Gophers will play their second game in the tournament against the Miami Hurricanes to decide who will make it to the quarterfinals of Region 2. Miami had a more impressive regular season leading to their two seed in the NIT, putting together a winning record of 9-7 in the ACC but just being left out of the NCAA tournament bubble. The Gophers 6-12 conference record left no mysteries as to why they were not invited.

The game is scheduled to tip-off at 8 p.m. Central Time and will be televised on ESPN following the conclusion of the night's early NIT action between the Tennessee Volunteers and Middle Tennessee State.

Minnesota is celebrating coach Tubby Smith's 100th all time with with the Gophers after beating La Salle and will hope to make a deep run in the NIT so that they have something to celebrate in what has otherwise been a somewhat lost season for them.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

NIT Bracket 2012: Minnesota Faces Miami With Chance To Advance To Quarterfinals

The 2012 National Invitational Tournament bracket has undergone quite a bit of change since the Minnesota Golden Gophers picked up an opening round victory over the La Salle Explorers. Following the weekend's results, The NIT Tournament has just three spots left in the semifinals.

One of those semifinal spots will be decided when the Gophers meet the Miami Hurricanes on Monday night. The Hurricanes entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and picked up a convincing victory over Valaparaiso in the first round, but Tubby Smith's Gophers looked better than a No. 6 seed with their victory last week as well.

The remaining games on Monday night will feature the Tennessee Volunteers taking on Middle Tennessee -- with the winning team advancing to face the winner of Minnesota vs. Miami -- while the Stanford Cardinal take on the Illinois State Redbirds on the other end of the bracket.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

NIT Tournament Schedule 2012: Monday's TV Slate Features Minnesota And Miami On ESPN

The 2012 NIT schedule will continue on Monday night when Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla. That game, which will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m., is one of three games on the National Invitational Tournament's schedule to open the week.

The Gophers entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed, but dispatched the La Salle Explorers in the opening round. Miami earned a No. 2 seed by way of a 20-12 record, including 9-7 in the ACC. The Hurricanes will be a bit short-handed in their game, too, as Durand Scott is serving part of a multi-game suspension mandated by the NCAA for inappropriate contributions under former coach Frank Haith.

The other games taking place on Monday night will feature the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers taking on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in an intrastate rivalry game as well as the Stanford Cardinal matching up with the Illinois St. Redbirds at 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.