The Associated Press

NEW YORK - St. John's and Georgetown, two old Big East rivals, will meet for the National Invitation Tournament championship.

The Red Storm advanced to the title game by rallying to beat Texas Tech 64-63 Tuesday night. Marcus Hatten, who scored 24 points, made a steal and a layup with 16.2 seconds left to give the Red Storm the dramatic comeback win.

Georgetown was nearly a one-man show, with Mike Sweetney getting 32 points and nine rebounds to lead the Hoyas past Minnesota 88-74 in the early semifinal.

St. John's (20-13) and Georgetown (19-14) will meet for the championship Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The teams met for the first time during the 1909-10 season, and St. John's has a 47-33 lead in the series, including a 77-72 victory on Jan. 18.

Both teams have rebounded from horrible stretches in the regular season. St. John's was 12-12, but a huge 72-71 victory over Duke on March 2 turned things around. Georgetown lost six straight at one point but has played well behind Sweetney.

The Red Storm held on in the closing seconds after Hatten missed two free throws with 4.1 seconds left. Texas Tech got the ball back following a timeout, and Will Chavis missed a 3-pointer off the rim as the buzzer sounded, sending the St. John's fans running onto the court.

Texas Tech (21-13) and Knight play Minnesota in the consolation game. This is Knight's eighth trip to the NIT, and his first since 1985. He made four appearances with Army and three with Indiana.