Harris has 15 as Vols capture NIT final
![Tennessee Volunteers forward Tobias Harris (12) controls the ball during...](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AMmI1MmRiZjktZWQyZi00%3AZjktZWQyZi00NmEyYzky%2Fspnit.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Tennessee Volunteers forward Tobias Harris (12) controls the ball during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. (Nov. 26, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl came to Madison Square Garden with a cloud over his head as a result of admitted recruiting violations and an air of uncertainty surrounding a team with two returning starters. The Volunteers added McDonald's All-American Tobias Harris of Dix Hills, but hype doesn't always equate to hope for the future.
Over the course of two games in the NIT Tip-Off Classic, it all came together for the No. 24 Volunteers (5-0), who used some hard-nosed defense and played smart basketball to upset No. 6 Villanova, 78-68, in the championship game Friday night. Harris (15 points, nine rebounds) was named to the all-tournament team and Hopson (18 points, three assists) earned MVP honors with his second straight strong second-half performance.
"Coach told us they'd make it a street fight, and that's what they did," said Villanova guard Corey Stokes, who was held to 11 points and 3-for-9 shooting. "They played really aggressive."
The Wildcats (5-1) are a team that relies largely on perimeter shooting, but Stokes, Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns were a combined 7-for-30 from the field, and Villanova shot 34.5 percent from the field and 19 percent from three-point range. Fisher had 26 points in a semifinal win over UCLA but only three (1-for-10 shooting) against tough Tennesee point guard Melvin Goins.
"They list Goins at 180, but he looked like the defensive back of a football team to me,'' Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "He was very, very physical . . . They're the best defensive team we've played so far . . . I thought they were a little tougher and a little smarter. When they drove the ball and we helped, they made extra passes."
Villanova put together a 20-10 surge to take a 48-45 lead. It included three-point plays by big men Mouphtaou Yarou (15 points, five rebounds) and Antonio Peña (14 points, eight rebounds). But Tennessee had a four-point possession when Cameron Tatum scored and then missed a foul shot before Hopson made the putback for a 49-48 edge.
The Vols broke open a one-point game with a 7-0 run on a jumper in the lane by Hopson, a dunk by Harris and a three-pointer by Tatum (17 points) to take a 63-55 lead. Center Brian Williams added 12 points and seven rebounds.
"That is what they expect from me," Hopson said. "Coach wants me to stay in attack mode all the time."
Hopson scored 11 of his points in the second half, and Pearl said, "I thought Scotty stayed patient in a sense that he's our go-to guy, but he didn't force things. He got only 11 shots."
Pearl credited Harris for playing point forward and helping break Villanova's press while committing only one turnover. Describing the feeling of scoring a major upset to win a tournament at the Garden with his family watching, Harris said, "It means a lot. Especially playing really well versus a top-ranked team gives us a lot of confidence.
"One of the things we pride ourselves on is playing defense and locking up the other team's best players. We did a great job of that tonight. I feel like our chemistry is growing each and every game we play."
Notes & quotes: Virginia Commonwealth (4-1) outlasted UCLA (3-2), 89-85, in the third-place game, getting 23 points and nine rebounds from forward Jamie Skeen. Malcolm Lee topped the Bruins with 23 points.