Texas rides defensive wave to win NIT and salvage season

On March 17, the season was seen as a disappointment for Texas. But on April 4, you couldn't tell that was the case.

Texas (21-16) won the NIT 81-66 over Lipscomb (29-8) Thursday night in Madison Square Garden to wash away the initial pain of losing out on an NCAA Tournament bid to end the regular season. For seniors Dylan Osetkowski and Kerwin Roach, two players who have been staples of Shaka Smart's Texas teams and have seen the program endure a rough four-year stretch finished their careers with a much-deserved piece of hardware. Osetkowski finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 boards while Roach added 16 points.