Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley made no attempt to hide his enthusiasm over his No. 21 Rams getting the chance to play No. 1 Duke Sunday in the championship game of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tipoff.

"I was coaching high school games seven years ago and driving vans around. Now we're nationally ranked and playing Duke tomorrow for a championship," Hurley said after the Rams nipped No. 24 Cincinnati, 76-71 in Saturday's semifinal game in Uncasville, Conn

Hurley called Duke "the premier program in the country that embodies everything you want in a college program. It kind of means a lot."

E.C. Matthews scored 18 points to lead four starters in double figures and the Rams came from 12 points down and won the game at the Mohegan Sun Casino Arena.

"It's a great win for us because of the opponent we played, just how great a team they are, how hard they play, how incredibly well-coached they are by that staff," Hurley said. "Any time you beat Cincinnati that's one heck of a win and you gotta earn it."

Hurley won this coaching matching with close friend Mick Cronin, who tipped his capped to the Rams but thought his players made things too easy for URI.

"Pat Riley said a long time ago in a hard-fought battle what happens when the ball's on the floor or in the air decided victories and that's what happened today," said Cronin, whose team faces Penn State in the consolation game Sunday.

Rhode Island came from behind to win after losing point guard Jarvis Garrett to a scary injury in the first half. Garrett, hustling for a rebound, fell over the end line and appeared to hit his head on the knee of a cameraman. He was down for several minutes, got up on his feet but was taken from the court, his neck in a brace on a stretcher and sent to a hospital for evaluation.

Players from both teams wished Garrett well as he was wheeled away, with the URI bench emptying to wish their teammate well.

"He's getting tests done. He has some type of neck injury," Hurley said, adding Garrett had texted him from the hospital. "No idea in terms of a timetable or as to the severity of it.

"I thought our guys love for him and love for each other as brothers caused them to rise to the level and want it even more.

Backed by a partisan crowd with the game played less than 40 miles from campus, URI shook off a slow shooting start to rally for the win. The Rams missed their first nine 3-pointers but went 8-for-12 from behind the arc from that point

Matthews and fellow guard Jared Terrell combined to shoot just 10-for-27 overall but were 8-for-15 from 3-point range. Terrell and Hassan Martin both finished with 14 points, Martin fouling out with 1:25 left, and Kuran Iverson posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

Jacob Evans led the Bearcats (2-1) with 25 points and six rebounds, while Kyle Washington scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed nine boards. Troy Caupain, the AAC preseason co-player of the year, continued his early offensive struggles, scoring 12 points but going just 4-for-14 from the floor. He did have five assists and four rebounds.

"We got what we deserved," said Cronin, who added his team learned a lesson in toughness, something that has been missing from his team since practice started.

Asked about a shot at Duke being a goal Saturday, Cronin bristled and said, "We just wanted to win. We wanted to win today."

NOTES: This was the third game between Rhode Island and Cincinnati, the Bearcats defeating the Rams in 1997-98 and 1998-99 in a home and home series. ... URI coach Danny Hurley and his brother Bobby were high school teammates of Cincinnati assistant Darren Savino on the St. Anthony High School (N.J.) USA Today national championship team coached by Bob Hurley Sr. Hurley Sr. was at the game. ... URI improved to 22-9 all-time as a ranked team and to just 15-96 all-time playing against ranked opponents. ... The Rams had 17 assists on 26 baskets and the team combined for just 21 turnovers in the hard-fought game, while Cincinnati had just eight assists, three in the second half.