[NU Sports] NIT Seeds

[Evans Schoeman]

I believe that a team that wins its regular season conference title, doesn't win the tournament, and isn't selected as a wild card by the NCAA is an automatic qualifier for the NIT.

It's very possible that AZ was invited by the NIT and declined the invitation.  They are not in either the CBI or CIT tournaments, and they certainly would have "qualified".  Oregon State (14-17) is in the CBI, the only power conference school in either.  (A school doesn't need a .500 record to be invited to the CBI).





________________________________
From: SjT (Stephen J. Truog) <sjtruog at yahoo.com>
To: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 10:20:37 AM
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] NIT Seeds

> close to that. We were very fortunate that the NIT chose us
> at all. Notice that we are the only #7 seed that wasn't an
> automatic qualifier. They reached waaay down to grab us,

Automatic qualifier? For the NIT?

The NCAA has seeding and is for the title - the NIT is just a side tourney to try and make money and get ratings. A 20-win team out of the Big Ten is not a reach. Stonybrook is a reach. :)

> when they could have taken Arizona -- a much more storied
> program 21 rungs higher in the RPI -- and forgotten all
> about us.

RPI is just one factor -- NU stacks up favorably to AZ on most others -- but you're right in that they should have taken Arizona.

Again, it's not about giving small schools a chance ... that tourney made its cuts. The NIT needs fans in the seats and people watching on TV. They don't use the same criteria as the NCAA.

> assuming we would just breeze through Cincy and Dayton/ISU.
> Less whining and more winning, please.

No one's saying we'd breeze through anyone - just questioning the NIT's pairings. They seem confused to their mission and seem to think they're the NCAA trying seeds instead of promoting regional matchups that will fill seats and get ratings.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT


      

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