Lunardi on NIT field - Bubble watch

Wouldn’t it be something if we got to host our ex C-USA mate Louisville in the NIT. Extra home game aint bad. However this will be irrelevant when we win out in Cincy!

Regular-season champs could steal bids
Lunardi
By Joe Lunardi
Special to ESPN Insider
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With Selection Sunday less than two weeks away, there are still more questions than answers regarding that other event – the National Invitation Tournament.

What we do know is that all non-NCAA-bound regular-season champions will be included in the 40-team field, that having a .500 record no longer is required (more on that in a later column), and that the field will be seeded 1-40 for the first time.

As such, we can take a first-day-of-March guess as to how the NIT field might shake out by applying NCAA selection criteria to its new baby brother. Please note the following five groups of teams and the respective descriptions of each:

GROUP ONE
These are teams 1-16 on the board if the season ended today. In addition to receiving a bye in the opening round, they would host games in the subsequent round of 32.
• UAB
• BYU
• UTEP
• Hofstra
• Texas A&M
• Utah State
• Miami
• Florida State
• Bradley
• Houston
• Vanderbilt
• Virginia
• South Alabama
• Saint Louis
• Charlotte
• Maryland

GROUP TWO
These are teams 17-24 on the potential board. Each would receive a bye in the opening round, but travel to one of the schools in Group One in the round of 32.
• Old Dominion
• Louisville
• Saint Joseph’s
• Temple
• UNLV
• Iona
• Akron
• Louisiana Tech

GROUP THREE
These are teams 25-32 on the board. Each would host an opening-round game against a team in Group Four below.
• Hawaii
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Oklahoma State
• Xavier
• Miami (OH)
• Montana
• Stanford

GROUP FOUR
These are teams 33-40 on the NIT board. Each would travel to a team in Group Three for an opening-round game. • Clemson
• Iowa State
• Butler
• Northeastern
• Rutgers
• La Salle
• Southern California
• New Mexico State

GROUP FIVE
This may be the most important group of all, as it turns out. Each of these teams has already clinched the regular-season championship (or top seed) in its respective conference. Any of these who do not make the NCAA field will be automatically included in the NIT, taking spots away from teams in Group Four (or more??) above.
• Duke (ACC)
• Albany (America East)
• Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun)
• Northern Arizona (Big Sky)
• Winthrop (Big South)
• UNC Wilmington (CAA)
• Memphis (Conference USA)
• Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon)
• Manhattan (MAAC)
• Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent)
• Delaware State (MEAC)
• Wichita State (Missouri Valley)
• Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast)
• Murray State (OVC)
• Bucknell (Patriot)
• Georgia Southern (Southern)
• Northwestern State (Southland)
• Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)
• Southern (SWAC)
• Nevada (WAC)
• Gonzaga (West Coast)

Obviously, Duke, George Washington, Memphis, Wichita State, Nevada and Gonzaga are going to the NCAA Tournament no matter what. But that leaves 15 (and counting) NIT spots up for grabs heading into the conference tournaments.

NIT bubble watch, anyone?

Edit: Take Florida State out of Group 1… After last night’s win, they’re dancin’.

Texas A&M too…

[URL=http://www.ninernation.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12630]http://www.ninernation.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12630[/URL]

Why isn’t South Carolina on there?
THey’ve beaten Florida twice this year.

[QUOTE=allie49er;158256]Why isn’t South Carolina on there?
THey’ve beaten Florida twice this year.[/QUOTE]

Because Lunardi is an idiot.

I heard that they couldn’t hold an NCAA game in their coliseum due to the Confederate flag issue

[QUOTE=allie49er;158260]I heard that they couldn’t hold an NCAA game in their coliseum due to the Confederate flag issue[/QUOTE]

No that can’t be true, where’d you hear this from?

[QUOTE=jrossp49er;158240]
These are teams 1-16 on the board if the season ended today. In addition to receiving a bye in the opening round, they would host games in the subsequent round of 32.
• UAB
• BYU
• UTEP
• Hofstra
• Texas A&M
• Utah State
• Miami
• Florida State
• Bradley
• Houston
• Vanderbilt
• Virginia
• South Alabama
• Saint Louis
• Charlotte
• Maryland
[/QUOTE]

The beauty of this is ya win ONE GAME and you are in the Sweet 16.

My husband read it in an article. They even removed the flag, so I don’t know what the big deal is.

If they are going that way, the only team “close” to Charlotte is Old Dominion. You could pair Clemson against the 49ers in a 3rd round contest (send them to Hawaii to play first :biggrin: ).

It is owned by the NCAA, so money is no longer an issue.

[QUOTE=amnesiac;158277]It is owned by the NCAA, so money is no longer an issue.[/QUOTE]

:lmao: That’s a joke right?

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

He’s correct but I don’t know how money is distributed for the NIT.

Do you actually think the NIT won’t be about money? Yea it is owned by the NCAA, but it will still be about money. Money is one of the reasons they got rid of the .500 or over requirement.

This new NIT format is going to be much better than last one. This would actually be exciting if the Niners can shoot over 20%.

1 good win doesn’t mean you are dancing…FSU had not beaten 1 team better than them all season until last night.

FSU’s non-conference RPI is 318!

And DePaul spanked Syracuse, 108-69. :confused:

[QUOTE=Pork Chop;158321]This would actually be exciting if the Niners can shoot over 20%.[/QUOTE]

Over 20% ??? Next, you’ll be asking for them to play some defense.

They beat Univ. of Florida twice, not FSU