• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ohio State, Texas A&M square off for NIT Season Tip-off final

Nov 23, 2007 - 2:58 PM No. 15 Texas A&M (5-0) at Ohio St (3-0) 7:00 pm EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Kosta Koufos has helped Ohio State move on after losing Greg Oden to the NBA.

Koufos hopes to deliver another outstanding performance in Madison Square Garden on Friday when the Buckeyes take on 15th-ranked Texas A&M in the NIT Season Tip-off championship game.

Ohio State was one of the top teams in the country last season, holding one of the top spots in the national rankings throughout the campaign and advancing to the national title game against champion Florida.

The Buckeyes' top player was Oden, who emerged as one of the country's best players as a freshman. But the 7-1 center elected to skip the rest of his college career and was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in last summer's NBA draft.

Koufos, however, has filled in quite nicely this season, averaging team highs of 20.3 points and 8.0 rebounds. The 7-foot freshman scored a season-high 24 points Wednesday to lead Ohio State to a 79-65 upset of No. 21 Syracuse in the semifinals of this tournament.

Texas A&M advanced to the finals Wednesday with a 77-63 victory over Washington.

Freshman sensation DeAndre Jordan scored just eight points on 4-of-6 shooting but pulled down 10 rebounds and helped fill in for Josh Carter, who managed just five points.

Jordan had a streak of 17 consecutive made shots snapped on Wednesday but still leads the Aggies with an 85.7 shooting percentage. The 7-footer is averaging 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in 20.6 minutes a game.