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LINK: https://www.katfans.com/katsforum/showthread.php?24269-NIT-Round-2

North Texas’ first-week flop gets worse with loss to Division II Alabama-Huntsville North Texas features potential lottery pick Tony Mitchell and a promising supporting cast. Alabama Huntsville features a roster overlooked by Division I coaches and well off the radar of pro scouts. Surely, Monday night's matchup in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip-off quickly turned into a Mean Green rout, right? Well, not quite. In perhaps the most surprising loss of the opening week of the college basketball season, a highly touted North Texas team lost to Division II Alabama Huntsville 78-75, robbing the Mean Green of the chance to face Kansas State with a trip to New York at stake. North Texas now falls to 0-2, its other loss a 71-51 shellacking at No. 16 Creighton on Friday in a matchup hyped as a duel between Mitchell and Bluejays star Doug McDermott. Perhaps expectations were too high for a North Texas team still unsure of its identity and still adjusting to new coach Tony Benford's system, but there was plenty of reason to be bullish about the Mean Green entering the season. The 6-foot-8 Mitchell, a versatile defender and rebounding machine, opted to return to school as a sophomore in hopes of progressing from fringe first-round pick last spring to lottery pick next June. He's the centerpiece of a talent-landen roster that also includes promising sophomore point guard Chris Jones, high-scoring perimeter shooter Jordan Williams and former Oklahoma State transfer Roger Franklin Jr. What has led to North Texas' early flop? Well, inefficient offense has been the biggest culprit. Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/north-texas-first-week-flop-gets-worse-loss-094009710--ncaab.html

Of the host teams, likely preseason top-10 Michigan should have little resistance in its push for New York, featuring incoming freshmen Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III, along with returning guard Trey Burke. Virginia should also advance, as well as Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers. Keep in mind, though, that Pittsburgh will be without guard Ashton Gibbs, who has now graduated. As for the first host school, Kansas State, they face a tough opponent in North Texas and also have to deal with Pat Knight’s Lamar squad. North Texas, led by star sophomore Tony Mitchell, won’t make it too easy for the Wildcats to make it to New York. Read More: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/05/preseason-nit-searching-for-one-more-school-could-end-up-adding-d-ii-team/

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