Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr. scored 20 points, center Geoffrey Groselle had a double-double, and Creighton beat Alabama 72-54 in the opening round of the NIT in Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday night.

Watson, the team's leading scorer at 14.2 points per game, made 8 of 13 shots from the field. Groselle had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Khyri Thomas added 15 points.

Creighton, seeded fourth in the region, advances to the second round to play Wednesday's winner between No. 1 St. Bonaventure and No. 8 Wagner.

Creighton (19-14) led 30-19 at halftime as a passive Alabama team often settled for 3-point shots, making only 3 of 16 from behind the arc. The Bluejays used a 9-0 run early in the second half to go up 41-23 and led by as many as 18.

Guard Justin Coleman later helped rally the Tide with 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, but Alabama never got closer than 10 points. Coleman had a team-high 18 points. The Tide made 8 of 30 (26.7 percent) 3-point shots and was out-rebounded by 13.

Alabama ended coach Avery Johnson's first season at 18-15. He tied Wimp Sanderson (1980-81) for the most wins in school history by a first-year coach.

Creighton, making its 11th appearance in the NIT, improved its record in the tournament to 6-10. This is the Bluejays' first trip to the NIT since 2009.