NIT Bracket and info

[Da Coach]

There are 9 NIT games Tuesday, March 13-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180313]

The games are on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3.com

Note that the new experimental rules are being used.

• The three-point line will be extended by approximately 1 foot 8 inches to the same distance used by FIBA for international competition (22 feet 1.75 inches).
• The free throw lane will be widened from 12 feet to 16 feet, consistent with the width used by the NBA.
• The games will be divided into four 10-minute quarters as opposed to two 20-minute halves. Teams will shoot two free throws beginning with the fifth foul of each quarter.
• The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound instead of the full 30 seconds.

[Da Coach]

All 9 higher seeds and home teams won their NIT games last night.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180313

It was interesting to see those new experimental rule changes and how they worked.
I think there is a good chance some of the new rules will eventually be incorporated into the general NCAA rules.

I liked the 4 quarters format, and the resetting of team fouls each quarter like the NBA uses. And I liked the shorter shot clock on offensive rebounds. Those couple rules make sense to me.
I am not as enamored with the longer 3-point line, but I could take it or leave it.
And I did not really like the wider free throw lane. It seemed to result in more congestion in the lane on free throws as more players think they have a chance at the rebound. And it didn't really open the lane up on offense that much.


There are 7 more NIT games Wednesday, March 14, including UC Davis playing a difficult matchup at Utah. The NIT games are all played on the home court of the higher seeded team for the first 3 rounds, with rare exceptions. The Boise State-Washington game tonight is being played at #5 seed Washington because of inavailability of the #4 Boise State arena. The NCAA games are being played there in Boise State's Taco Bell Arena.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180314

[Da Coach]

In the 7 NIT games Wednesday night, the home team won all 7 games-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180314

The only lower seeded team to win was #5 seeded Washington over #4 seeded Boise State 77-74. Washington lucked out and got to play the game at home because Boise State's arena is hosting the NCAA first round games.


All 16 first round NIT games were won by the home teams. In a tournament that wants to be thought of as a legitimate and respectable tournament, it seems playing the games on one team's home court gives them way too much advantage. I realize the cost of hosting neutral site games, and the fact they would draw poorly makes that solution impractical, but IMO it tarnishes what little respectability the NIT has left.


There are no NIT games Thursday or Friday, then the NIT resumes play with one 2nd round game on Saturday, March 17-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180317

3 second round games on Sunday, March 18-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180318

And 4 second round games on Monday, March 19-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180319

[bigjimmy]

Looks like that trend has been shattered, at least for 1 game, as Penn State went to South Bend and beat Notre Dame 73-63.

[tornado]

3 second round games on Sunday, March 18-
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas.../date/20180318...

Oregon gets knocked out by Brian Wardle's alma mater, Marquette...
season is over for MiKyle McIntosh, who transferred just to get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament - but ironically instead gets bounced out of the NIT early
he does not have any more eligibility and will probably seek a pro deal overseas or try to latch on with a G-League team

[Da Coach]

The NIT quarterfinals start with 2 games tonight (Tuesday 3/20) and 2 games Wednesday (3/22)-

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2018-03-19/nit-bracket-2018-scores-times-printable-pdf-years-tournament

[Da Coach]

The NIT is down to their Final Four- The semifinals and final will be played in Madison Square Garden-

SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, March 27....6 p.m. Central....ESPN....(4) Western Kentucky vs. (2) Utah
Tuesday, March 27....8 p.m. Central....ESPN....(4) Penn State vs. (4) Mississippi State

FINAL
Thursday, March 29...6 p.m. Central...ESPN2...Winners of the 2 semifinal games

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2018-03-19/nit-bracket-2018-scores-times-printable-pdf-years-tournament

[tornado]

Utah plays Penn State for the NIT Championship...

UC-Davis got a horrible draw having to face Utah in Round-1 -
They played Utah well but lost....
now Utah might end up the ultimate Champ - reminiscent of Bradley in 1986 having to face Louisville, playing them very well (as close as anyone did) but losing then Louisville goes on to win it all

[capecod]

Bradley's NIT run in the late 50s

Bradley had a pretty good 4 yr run in the NIT in the late 50s:

1957 Bradley wins NIT-beating former Braves coach Vanatta in finals
1958 Bradley eliminated by Xavier-who went on to win the Championship
1959 Bradley finishes 2nd-losing championship game to ST John's
1960 Bradley wins the NIT

[Da Coach]

Bradley had a pretty good 4 yr run in the NIT in the late 50s:

1957 Bradley wins NIT-beating former Braves coach Vanatta in finals
1958 Bradley eliminated by Xavier-who went on to win the Championship
1959 Bradley finishes 2nd-losing championship game to ST John's
1960 Bradley wins the NIT

Bradley also won the NIT in 1967 and 1982, and they also finished 2nd in 1950!
The NIT was a far more prestigious tournament back in the 1930's. 1940's and even int the 1950's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Invitation_Tournament#Preeminence

[tornado]

with so few teams in the NCAA, there were years that the field in the NIT was better...1960 might have been one of those...
Bradley was ranked as high as #2 in the AP Poll for much of the mid-part of the season and #4 in the NATION in the Final AP Poll & never once fell out of the Top 10 at any time all year, and we had beaten the #1 team and yet were relegated to the NIT and not the NCAA

[capecod]

with so few teams in the NCAA, there were years that the field in the NIT was better...1960 might have been one of those...
Bradley was ranked as high as #2 in the AP Poll for much of the mid-part of the season and #4 in the NATION in the Final AP Poll & never once fell out of the Top 10 at any time all year, and we had beaten the #1 team and yet were relegated to the NIT and not the NCAA

Back in the day, a team had to win it's conference championship to make the NCAA tourney-a field of only 32? -now it's 68?

Bradley always finished second in the Valley in those '50-early 60s-having the misfortune of having Cincinnati in the conference.

After the four NITs in the late 50s/60, the Braves had some bad luck:

1961
Bradley did not go to the NIT, though they had a 21-5 record & had a starting lineup of Tim Robinson, Mack Herndon, Chet Walker, Al Saunders and Mickey Tieman

1962
Bradley did go to the NIT, but without star player Joe Strawder-who had been kicked out of school & lost in the 1st game...actually the Braves tied Cincinnati for the Valley championship-but lost a playoff game (without Strawder) to see who went to the NCAAs...Cincinnati won the National Championship


1963
Strawder missed the first semester before becoming eligible & LeVern Tart was declared ineligible for the second semester the same game the Strawder came back.

1964
The Braves win the NIT with Strawder and Tart actually playing a full season together for the only time in their 4 yrs at Bradley! Tart was the NIT MVP

Tart & Strawder at Bradley
as frosh: Tart declared ineligible for 2nd semester on Frosh team
as soph: Strawder booted off team after 20 games
as Jun: Strawder still ineligible 1st sem/Tart ineligible for 2nd sem.
as Sr: Strawder & Tart play the full season together

PS
Bradley did go to the NIT again in 1968- but did not win....having lost starting forward Willie Betts to grades after the first semester....it was the second time Betts had flunked off the team....the Braves also played in the '65 NIT

[tornado]

The NCAA Tourney didn't expand to 32 teams until 1975
In 1960 there were 25 teams

[Da Coach]

The championship game of the 2018 NIT is Thursday, March 29 in Madison Square Garden between Utah and Penn State-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/group/50/date/20180329

[Da Coach]

Penn State wins the 2018 NIT beating Utah 82-66-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401022817