NIT Bracketology (2/16/24)

[Glory to the Green]

I know we have our sights on the Big Dance, but this has us in the NIT at the moment. 

 

[CMJ]

Winning at elevation is tough - but otherwise I'd take our chances against CU.

[Andrew]

I really wish for the day it’s expanded to 64 teams and no other lower tournaments exist. Would make winning it even bigger. 

[CMJ]

The NCAA can't stop other tournaments from doing their own thing, and with the way the NIT is being changed and don't want them to.

[Andrew]

3 minutes ago, CMJ said:

The NCAA can't stop other tournaments from doing their own thing, and with the way the NIT is being changed and don't want them to.

NCCA could do a lot of things if they grew pair….they have let college athletics run wild. They clearly don’t want control but yet want all the money. Lazy, cowardice… idk. I guess new leadership is needed. 

[CMJ]

3 hours ago, Andrew said:

NCCA could do a lot of things if they grew pair….they have let college athletics run wild. They clearly don’t want control but yet want all the money. Lazy, cowardice… idk. I guess new leadership is needed. 

It's more like the NCAA can't stop the big boys and if they tried those schools would just break off and do their own thing entirely.

Edited February 17 by CMJ

[GMG_Dallas]

In that bracket, there's a path for us to get revenge against LSU and St John's or face Kansas State. Xavier with Abou would be on the table as well if all those teams make deep runs. Would make for very exciting basketball even though I'd prefer to get the big dance AQ.

Edited February 17 by GMG_Dallas

[HoosMeanGreen]

Wow! #21 ranked Virginia is headed to the NIT? How many other Top 25 teams are headed to the NIT? 🧐🧐

[meaniegreenie]

2 hours ago, Andrew said:

NCCA could do a lot of things if they grew pair….they have let college athletics run wild. They clearly don’t want control but yet want all the money. Lazy, cowardice… idk. I guess new leadership is needed. 

It's almost like they're members of Congress.

[NT93]

The AAC has 7 teams that should be either NCAA or NIT.  Based on only 3 teams listed in the NIT and no way 4 get in the NCAA, a couple of teams may get left out in the cold.

[CMJ]

1 hour ago, HoosMeanGreen said:

Wow! #21 ranked Virginia is headed to the NIT? How many other Top 25 teams are headed to the NIT? 🧐🧐

I remember it happening once or twice in the last 35 years or so, but it's quite unusual.

 

Also, it's never a Power League team that gets the treatment.  I wanna say it happened to UNLV once in the 90s and then maybe again about 15 years ago to someone like Drexel.

Edited February 17 by CMJ

[Cooke County Kid]

You have to look at the NIT as a bowl game, you get to keep on practicing, which is a good thing.  As long as you keep on winning you keep on practicing.  It can pay dividends for next year.  If we can keep on playing tournaments we become a recognized name and a reputation for great defense and recruits take notice.  I believe we are getting established as a basketball school which is a good thing.  I prefer football and we can keep working on that, the AAC has some good basketball schools as well and we need to compete in all sports.  GMG BEAT uab!!!!

[BigWillie]

3 hours ago, Cooke County Kid said:

You have to look at the NIT as a bowl game, you get to keep on practicing, which is a good thing.  As long as you keep on winning you keep on practicing.  It can pay dividends for next year.  If we can keep on playing tournaments we become a recognized name and a reputation for great defense and recruits take notice.  I believe we are getting established as a basketball school which is a good thing.  I prefer football and we can keep working on that, the AAC has some good basketball schools as well and we need to compete in all sports.  GMG BEAT uab!!!!

This is exactly my take. I look at it this way...

Are we going to win the NCAA? Highly unlikely.

Could we OWN the NIT? Waaay more likely.

I think we make it OUR tournament.

What would make more news? 1 and done in the big dance or winning back to back NITs??

[drex]

I don't see any C-USA teams listed, nor Sunbelt.  I am so glad we moved up to the AAC.

 

 

[UNT78]

What are the dates for these games?

[Matt from A700]

I just wish the NIT Final hadn't of moved from Madison Square Garden. I feel like we could have gotten a lot general basketball fans walk up just because of the tradition of the NIT being there, and we'd be exposed to more people than we were in Vegas.

[Matt from A700]

On 2/17/2024 at 3:27 PM, Cooke County Kid said:

You have to look at the NIT as a bowl game, you get to keep on practicing, which is a good thing.  As long as you keep on winning you keep on practicing.  It can pay dividends for next year.  If we can keep on playing tournaments we become a recognized name and a reputation for great defense and recruits take notice.  I believe we are getting established as a basketball school which is a good thing.  I prefer football and we can keep working on that, the AAC has some good basketball schools as well and we need to compete in all sports.  GMG BEAT uab!!!!

I agree, and unlike football - in which UNT has gotten to inflate their number of postseason appearances the last several years - the number of postseason basketball opportunities has actually decreased with the elimination of the CIT and failures of other attempts like the Vegas 16. These postseason basketball tournament appearances have been well earned.

I wouldn't even mind if our only postseason chance was the CBI, although it has deteriorated since our run - now a five-game-in-five-days event in a single venue where the locale doesn't care (Daytona Beach). But, Charlotte has obviously used their championship last year to power themselves to an even better 2023-24.