By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
The disappointment of last Saturday’s first-round defeat in the Horizon League Tournament turned into the anticipation of a National Invitation Tournament bid this week for Northern Kentucky University.
Yes, top-seeded NKU’s 89-80 loss to eighth-seeded Cleveland State in the first round of Motor City Madness eliminated the Norse from making a repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament. But the setback in Detroit didn’t end NKU’s season.
Cleveland State’s upset of NKU last week has the Norse looking for redemption during the upcoming NIT. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
The Norse had already assured themselves of an NIT berth by winning the Horizon League’s regular-season championship. It’s not the NCAA, but it’s a chance to gain a bit of redemption and play in the nation’s oldest postseason tournament. First-round games will be played March 13-14 at campus sites.
So what exactly is the NIT? Does NKU have any realistic chance at winning the event? Will the Norse be in position to host a first-round game? Who will NKU play, and where?
Since there are plenty of questions being asked, let’s try and find the answers with some Q & A.
Q: What is the NIT?
A: The NIT is the oldest college basketball tournament. It was first contested in 1938, with the NCAA starting its own tournament one year later. For several decades, the NIT was the preeminent tournament in the country. Six teams participated in the first NIT, with Temple winning the championship with a 60-36 decision over Colorado. In its 80-year history, the NIT field expanded seven different times, eventually reaching 40 teams in 2002. The field was later condensed to its current 32-team format in 2007.
Q: NKU is in its second year of postseason eligibility in Division I…has a program ever qualified for the NIT quicker than the Norse?
A: Yes, at least twice. Old Dominion earned a bid to the NIT in 1977 in its first year of Division I competition. The Monarchs almost captured the ECAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that year but lost in the championship game to Syracuse, 67-64. Old Dominion was selected to play in the NIT and hosted Villanova in the first round, but the Monarchs dropped a 71-68 decision in overtime to the Wildcats. They finished their inaugural Division I season with a 25-4 record.
Old Dominion had won the 1975 NCAA Division II national championship and then advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 1976. The school applied for Division I status and was immediately eligible for postseason play during that era of college athletics.
One-time conference rivals NKU and FGCU will both be in the 2018 NIT field.
Q: Which school has won the most NIT championships?
A: St. John’s has won the NIT six times in its history, more than any other program. St. John’s is located in Queens, N.Y., just 12 miles from Madison Square Garden’s Manhattan location. Madison Square Garden has served as the host site for the NIT semifinals and finals since the mid-1970s. Prior to that time, Madison Square Garden hosted the entire event.
Q: Where will NKU be seeded, and which team are they likely to play in the first round?
A: While it’s impossible to pinpoint the seeding, it’s safe to assume NKU will be either a 7 or 8 seed. Since the NIT field is comprised of four regions with teams seeded 1-8, NKU would meet either a 1 or 2 seed in the first round. Some of NKU’s possible opponents, and all these change by the minute in the projected bracketology, include LSU, Notre Dame, Alabama, Nebraska, Boise State, Louisville, Marquette, Oklahoma State and Arizona State. Any of those teams, if in the NIT field, are projected as 1 or 2 seeds. Several of those teams are still in contention for the NCAA Tournament.
Q: If NKU is such a low seed, does it have any chance of winning?
A: Let’s take a look at recent NIT history for that answer. A year ago, No. 8 seed Cal State Bakersfield defeated top-seeded California, fourth-seeded Colorado State and sixth-seeded Texas-Arlington to reach the NIT Final Four in New York. The Roadrunners won each of those games on the road. Also, No. 7 seed Oakland — a Horizon League member — won at No. 2 seed Clemson during last year’s NIT.
NKU battled Cal State Bakersfield in the 1990s as Division II opponents. Cal State Bakersfield advanced to the NIT Final Four last season as a No. 8 seed and played at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
A: Yes. In fact, NKU and Cal State Bakersfield played for the 1997 NCAA Division II national championship, and the Roadrunners pulled out a 57-56 win over the Norse in Louisville. The previous year in the national quarterfinals, NKU defeated Cal State Bakersfield, 56-55.
Q: Any other familiar opponents for NKU in the NIT this year?
A: Yes, starting with former Atlantic Sun Conference rival Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles won the Atlantic Sun Conference’s regular-season title, but the Eagles were upset in the tournament championship game by Lipscomb. Just like NKU, Florida Gulf Coast secured an NIT berth by winning the regular-season title. Louisville, which NKU has played twice in exhibition games in previous seasons, is another possibility for the NIT. The Cardinals still have a shot at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Q: Will the NIT games be televised? And if so, where?
A: Yes. The NCAA, which owns rights to the NIT, has partnered with ESPN to broadcast games in the NIT. Some of the games will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, while other matchups have the option of airing on ESPN3.
Q: Any outside chance of NKU hosting any NIT games?
A: At this point it’s very unlikely. During the first three rounds, the higher seeds are the host schools.
Q: Is there any slight hope of NKU getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament?
A: None. The Horizon League is just 26th nationally in RPI, with only six conferences below it. And after being eliminated from the Horizon League Tournament by a Cleveland State team that finished with 23 losses, NKU has no chance at receiving an at-large bid. Just to put it in perspective, Wright State won the Horizon League Tournament and is projected as a 15 seed at the moment.
Q: But didn’t NKU play a number of teams with great records this season?
A: Let’s take a look at those opponents: Memphis, Vermont, Maryland-Baltimore County, East Tennessee State, Texas A&M and Wright State all currently have at least 20 wins. Those are seven of NKU’s losses (Wright State twice), and six of those came in the final minute of play. That’s how close NKU was to 27 or 28 wins. If — and that’s a big word — but if NKU had finished with 28 or 29 wins and advanced to the Horizon League Tournament championship and lost, then we could be debating an at-large berth to the NCAA. As it is, NKU still gets an opportunity to continue playing in a national tournament, with lots of big-name opponents in the field.
Q: Can you get me the entire NIT schedule?
A: We certainly can.
2018 NIT schedule
March 13-14: First round at campus sites
March 15-19: Second round at campus sites
March 20-21: Quarterfinal round at campus sites
March 27 & 29: Semifinals and championship game at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport
