5 things to know for Lipscomb vs. Texas in the NIT finals at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK — One way or another, the road ends here Thursday night.

That's a big deal in itself for Lipscomb, which quickly moved past the disappointment of not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last month and turned its attention to the National Invitation Tournament, where it is now one of the final two teams standing.

The No. 5 Bisons (29-7) play No. 2 Texas (20-16) at 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPN) at Madison Square Garden with the NIT championship on the line.

Here are five things to know for Lipscomb's season finale:

Lipscomb vying for its second national title

A win Thursday would give the Bisons their second national title in program history.

Thirty-three years ago the Bisons won the NAIA tournament title under legendary coach Don Meyer.

Winning a tournament against the NIT field would be a testament to how far the program has come under athletic director Philip Hutcheson and coach Casey Alexander.

Identity:Lipscomb basketball players happy to teach New Yorkers who they are (no, they’re not TCU)

Lipscomb is playing in the NIT for the second time in its history, the first coming in 2006. The Bisons advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in program history.

What a heart-stopping journey it's been

First the Bisons had to knock off No. 4 Davidson. Then No. 1 UNC-Greensboro. Then No. 2 NC State. All on the road.

Whew.

That last game, against the Wolfpack in Raleigh, took a minor miracle. NC State had the ball and a two-point lead with about 27 seconds left, but Kenny Cooper stole an inbounds pass and knocked down a 3 to give Lipscomb a 92-91 lead. NC State retook the lead with a layup with eight seconds left, but Cooper hit another dramatic jumper with four seconds left to give the Bisons the lead for good.

It took a heck of a final few moments for Lipscomb to escape its first game at Madison Square Garden, too.

The Bisons trailed Wichita State by 11 with about eight minutes left before finishing the game on a 21-3 run. Lipscomb scored the game's final 14 points and forced the Shockers to miss their final 10 shots.

The big win:Lipscomb basketball shocks Wichita State, will meet Texas in NIT final at Madison Square Garden

Garrison Mathews has been unstoppable

Garrison Mathews had the last seven of those points. His 3-pointer with 1:10 left gave Lipscomb a 67-64 lead. He then sealed his team's spot in the NIT finals with four straight free throws. 

'The decoy':Garrison Mathews’ tear lifts Lipscomb basketball to NIT finals in New York

The 6-foot-5 senior guard has put on a clinic in the NIT so far. He's averaging 28.8 points through Lipscomb's first four games, and is also averaging 7.8 rebounds.

Mathews, the program's all-time leading scorer in its Division I history, was the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year.

High-scoring Bisons need to slow down Kerwin Roach II

He's their leading scorer this season with 15 points per game. The 6-foot-4 senior guard went off for 22 points on 64.3 percent shooting on Tuesday as Texas defeated TCU 58-44 to advance to the NIT finals.

Texas has taken a more defensive-minded approach to games this season. They're averaging 70.8 points per game (on 43.3 percent shooting) while holding opponents to 62 points per game.

Lipscomb, though, prefers offense. The Bisons are averaging 83.6 points per game (on 48.3 percent shooting) while holding opponents to 76.8 points per game.

Texas has won an NIT title before

In 1978, the Longhorns went through Temple, Nebraska and Rutgers before knocking off NC State in the finals to claim a title.

Texas certainly has more experience on these types of stages than their lesser-known counterpart on Thursday. Before this season, the Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five years.

They have appeared in the NIT five times, their last of which was in 1986.

Reach Erik Bacharach at ebacharach@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ErikBacharach.