NIT Bracket & Teams Selected

[Rick Mons]

Haven't seen this posted yet. There's only a "printable" bracket without the teams filled in so far ... here's the listing of teams/seeds for the NIT and directions where the entries are to be made on the "printable bracket" (available here):

NIT Bracket 1 (upper lefthand):
#1 Illinois vs. #8 Stony Brook
#4 Kent St. vs. #5 Tulsa
#3 Dayton vs. #6 Illinois St.
#2 Cincinnati vs. #7 Weber St.

NIT Bracket 2 (lower lefthand):
#1 Arizona St. vs. #8 Jacksonville
#4 Seton Hall vs. #5 Texas Tech
#3 Memphis vs. #6 St. John’s
#2 Ole Miss vs. #7 Troy

NIT Bracket 3 (top right):
#1 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Quinnipiac
#4 Connecticut vs. #5 Northeastern
#3 Wichita St. vs. #6 Nevada
#2 Rhode Island vs. #7 Northwestern

NIT Bracket 4 (bottom right):
#1 Mississippi St. vs. #8 Jackson St.
#4 North Carolina vs. #5 William & Mary
#3 South Florida vs. #6 NC State
#2 UAB vs. #7 Coastal Carolina

 

[GVTTW]

Wow, North Carolina is a #4 seed in the NIT. Weird....

 

[rcpratt]

They really shouldn't be that high, either.

 

[North Country]

How unreal is it that Arizona and UCLA didn't even make the NIT and UCONN and UNC are both 4 seeds... in the NIT

 

[beowulftom]

With the bubble busters, some strong teams in this year.

Thankfully not us. But some good basketball is gonna get played.

 

[Rick Mons]

Remember that there are also two other tournaments: the CIB and the CIT. I've seen some tentative pairings for the CIT but nothing on the CIB as yet.

There will be 129 teams between the NCAAs, NIT, CIB and CIT if they get acceptances from everyone. And why not participate if a coach can give his team some additional sanctioned practicesand post-season game(s)?

If the NCAA expands to 96 teams and the NIT, CIB and CIT are retained, there'd be 160 teams in post-season play. NJIT would have a chance .....

 

[bigmwc]

I believe Illinois is the only higher seed that has to play on the road (@ Stony Brook). Scheduling conflicts in Champaign.

 

[beowulftom]

I know people believe "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but I think there are enough quality teams for the NCAA's to expand to 96. Probably in the minority, but this year, Miss State, Illinois, V Tech, and others would give their pairing a game.

 

[The Ghost of Bierman]

I believe Illinois is the only higher seed that has to play on the road (@ Stony Brook). Scheduling conflicts in Champaign.

illinois got kicked out of assembly hall in champaign (and couldn't host as a #1 seed in the NIT) because of a cirque du solei show that will be going on there!

 

[howeda7]

The CBI (not CIB) may have a tough time getting teams. UVa played in it last year and already said they will refuse to do so this year. They ask each school to guarantee so many tickets to play home games, and they end up losing big time $$. I'm sure they're not alone. I don't really know how these tournaments function in this economy. Playing on Fox College Sports can't bring any meaningful TV money and if the schools won't guarantee the ticket sales, I can't see how it's solvent.

 

[TheHofferette]

go to www.nit.org and they fill in everything as soon as it is announced.

 

[dlw4gophers]

go to www.nit.org and they fill in everything as soon as it is announced.

I would not make fun of Illinois for the schedule conflict. I am sure they made plans to be in the NCAA as all good programs should. I don't think you want to go into the post season planning on being in the NCAA. Also, take a look at what happened to our Hockey team with the Becky series. We end up at the Target center because of some national skating competition.

 

[TheHofferette]

was I making fun of Illinois? I was trying to help out the OP by giving him a link to a NIT bracket that has the teams/seeds/etc.

 

[dlw4gophers]

was I making fun of Illinois? I was trying to help out the OP by giving him a link to a NIT bracket that has the teams/seeds/etc.

Sorry, that was directed at the ghost of bierman.

 

[From the Barn]

Excuse me, what did Miss State, Illinois, V Tech, do to earn a trip to the dance?

 

[HopHead]

I know people believe "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but I think there are enough quality teams for the NCAA's to expand to 96. Probably in the minority, but this year, Miss State, Illinois, V Tech, and others would give their pairing a game.

That's four. If you can come up with 28 more, I will be extremely impressed.

IMO, going to 96 is a terrible idea. I wouldn't mind seeing 3 more "play in" games to earn the 16 seeds and the privilage of being eliminated two days later. There is something too unsymmetrical about having 65 teams for me.

 

[TheHofferette]

That's four. If you can come up with 28 more, I will be extremely impressed.

IMO, going to 96 is a terrible idea. I wouldn't mind seeing 3 more "play in" games to earn the 16 seeds and the privilage of being eliminated two days later. There is something too unsymmetrical about having 65 teams for me.

I agree, I am OK w/ precisely 3 more teams to have all the #1s play the winner of a play-in game. that's it though!

 

[RodentRampage]

I agree that adding three more play-in games makes sense. It doesn't make sense to have one play-in game, either have 4 or none.

If the NCAA does expand to 96 teams, the NIT will survive, but the CBI and the CIT will probably fold.

 

[SelectionSunday]

My prediction: expansion to 72

I could live with 68, but my prediction is they'll compromise by listening to both their fans (what I hear is most fans are strongly against expansion) and their whining coaches and expand the field to 72 instead of 96.

1-14 seeds (56 teams) will receive byes.

They'll have 2 play-in games in each regional with the winners moving into the round of 64. That way the NCAA can turn the play-in games into a doubleheader in each region (at pre-determined sites), theoretically making it more "attractive" to neutral fans. However, I suspect if the play-in games are played at netural sites, the crowds would be positively awful.

 

[howeda7]

I could live with 68, but my prediction is they'll compromise by listening to both their fans (what I hear is most fans are strongly against expansion) and their whining coaches and expand the field to 72 instead of 96.

1-14 seeds (56 teams) will receive byes.

They'll have 2 play-in games in each regional with the winners moving into the round of 64. That way the NCAA can turn the play-in games into a doubleheader in each region (at pre-determined sites), theoretically making it more "attractive" to neutral fans. However, I suspect if the play-in games are played at netural sites, the crowds would be positively awful.

I think they'll go to 68 with 4 Tuesday play-in games on the 12-line. Those will be legitimately interesting match-ups that they can sell to ESPN to give them a legitimate piece of the pie, but without distrupting the tournament too much.

 

[SelectionSunday]

If they're determined to expand Howeda, I'd prefer the scenario exactly as you laid it out. But I just can't see the NCAA having the 'nads to tell some of the "big boys" (some who surely would be involved in those games) that they have to play their way into the round of 64.

If they expand to 68, they'll just screw the little guys even more, make 3 more schools from smaller conferences "play their way in" to the bracket (64 teams) everyone cares about.

 

[g0_g0ph3r5]

anyone else surprised

that Michigan did not make the NIT field?

 

[XMan]

Very surprised.

 

[MRJ]

It used to be that you had to have at least a .500 record overall to enter the NIT. Whether that is still the case or not, I don't know. If that's currently true, Michigan would be out due to finishing below .500 for the season.