JaMychal Green and Trever Releford added 15 points apiece to help Alabama (4-0) avenge its loss to the Shockers (3-1) in last year’s NIT title game. The Crimson Tide will play Purdue in Sunday’s championship.
Toure Murry scored 21 points for Wichita State and Carl Hall grabbed 12 rebounds.
Alabama held Wichita State to 33.8 percent shooting from the field and forced 18 turnovers.
Levi Randolph had two steals and put pressure on Wichita State’s ballhandlers on every changeover. That was especially effective in the second half, when the Shockers shot just 27 percent from the field.
“Their press is really good,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. “They take you out of sets. You have to beat the pressure, but if you do they have some guys in the back who can alter if not block shots. When we got past the pressure, we didn’t make the easy plays that you have to make to hurt the pressure.”
Wichita State’s bench outscored Alabama’s reserves 25-6. The Shockers also had a 43-38 rebounding edge and shot 7 of 20 from 3-point range, with Ben Smith going 4 for 8.
But all those the turnovers hurt, leading to 15 points for Alabama.
“Great effort, great focus, great intensity,” Grant said. “Our philosophy is to play pressure defense for all 40 minutes and I think our defensive pressure may have taken a toll on them toward the end of the game.”
The Crimson Tide shot 43.4 percent from the floor and went 1 for 8 from beyond the arc.
Wichita State falls to 2-1 and faces Temple in the third-place game at 4:30 central time on Sunday.