Someone shut down the NIT

[EvilVodka]

Yesterday, I get home from work...I'm tired...I put on ESPN (didn't yet realize CBS was hosting games)...its Notre Dame vs. New Mexico....I get some food and watch it for awhile, until it goes to half time and the stupid NIT logo pops up on the screen...ahhhhhhh

Instantly I panic and reach for the remote...all I have to say about the NIT is why...? why play the NIT? If you can't get into a field of 65 teams, what kind of basketball are you playing? not good, thats for sure...How does the NIT garner any TV ratings or fans at the games?

[GatorGrad]

I agree. My Gators went to the NIT "Final Four" in NYC last year and are one win over Penn State away from going again this year. I couldn't care less. This is like playing in the MicronPC.com Bowl. It's a game...nothing more.

[CJHawkeyes]

How is the NIT any different than 31 of 32 bowl games?

[GatorGrad]

That's true CJ...except for once a blue moon (USC in the 2003 season playing in the Rose Bowl with a chance to be voted #1 in the AP Poll,) there is not a difference between NIT games and any bowl game outside of the BCS Championship. And even then, that's only if you value Mythical National Titles. What a great event the NCAA Tournament is. I miss watching my team play in it. We'll be back next year!

[Coach 3]

..is a drag and evenhoops addicts liek myself pass on it..not to be pedantic, but the nit has a very long, once respectable history history..until 1974 when there were only 16 ncaa teams let in to the big dance, it was very competitive..16-32 and some very good teams like maryland 1972, marquewtte 1970...uniti the mid 50's, the nit was as prestigious as the ncaa...with nyc as the fulcrum, it was legit...but obviously since the fierd of 64. its become an afterthought..i wont even watch kentcuky -creighton...its kind of like the boxer who starts his career 20-0, gets to fight soem big boys,,..loses....revealed to be not so good,,,now he is 20-4...and is now headlining the card at a club fight setting in some smokey ballroom at the vfw hall...

[EvilVodka]

How is the NIT any different than 31 of 32 bowl games?

I'd argue that the bowl structure is more of a hierarchy...

with college basketball, there's clearly two pools of teams...the championship tourney and the NIT

with college football, there's a progression of importance as well as quality...the National Championship is obviously the top, and then the BCS bowls

The Orange Bowl the past couple of years has been a big thing for programs like Kansas and Cincinnati...any bowl game from Jan 1 on is likely to have the top echelon of college football playing. The NIT isn't quite the top echelon of bball, or else they would have made the championship tourney

[HellYeahHokie]

If there ever was a reason why the NIT should still be around, it was the game between St Mary's and San Diego State U. last night. For those of you who missed it, because you ultimately you put more importance on championships than you do on the joy of sport, then you missed a great game. Not only was the game highly entertaining, with SDSU holding off a hard-charging SMU, but the atmosphere at the sold-out arena was absolutely electric. The fans were as loud as I've ever heard at a basketball game. The advantage of the NIT format is that home game result in home fans. NCAA games include limited fans from among 4-8 schools, plus corporate seats.

March madness is still king, but that is probably more about brackets and office pools than actual games. The NIT still stands for "No Important Teams", but last night's game between SMU and SDSU showed there still is a reason to keep the tournament around. It was pure entertainment and passion.

If you ask me, the joy of sport is more important that titles earned over the course of a few consecutive games strung together. It's why I don't get bent out of shape over the lack of a playoff in football. I've seen plenty of unbelievably exciting, entertaining, and passion-filled bowl games that "didn't mean anything". BS. They meant plenty.

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

Steve Fisher knows how to win a championship. Interim Coach Fisher led Michigan to an improbable natl title in 1989 and the Fab 5 to back-to-back natl title games.

This was the type of road game SMC needed to win in the reg season to justify a leap over Arizona and its invitation to the big dance. However, they never had such a win.

ND, SDSU, Penn State all headed to NYC. Should be entertaining.

[Coach 3]

..so many fantastic and satisfying things take place outside of the heated frenzy to be #1!!...much respect for eliminated ourney programs marquette, western kentucky and lsu...the winner takes all attiude makes many miss hte point of competitiomn, excellence and the basic excitement of close games..with that said, i guess you have to say sd st and st mary;s were deserving of a bid..as far as that grinnign idiot steve fisher, he looked hte other wau when chris webber was ruining michaigns program for a decade walking around with $2,500 cash per week on campus...

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

Okay, but let's not lambaste UConn because only reaming Michigan and Duke hoops has a place in your lexicon.

[HellYeahHokie]

He rips other programs. You just notice it more because those are your alma maters.

[MasterBevo]

Well, here's one good thing about the NIT:

Winning those two, meaningless games will help Kentucky hold off UNC in the "All-time Wins" race for a little bit longer.... although, probably only a week or two.

By my count, UK is now stopped at 1988.
UNC is currently at 1980... with a possible addition of up to 4 games.

So... even without the NIT, I suppose UK could have held on for thsi year... but, it would have been really close.

Looks like next year, UNC will claim the title. :(

[Coach 3]

..i went to michigan..and i'll diss what went awfully wrong with the hoops program anytime i get the chance......and let me assure you no one int he midatlantic suffers more when michigan football loses...you cant ask for opinions about the flub 5 and then get all sensitive about it..the false ghetto swagger of webber - he was from a soildly middle class background, his parents were both making good money at gm and he went to that rough, tough high school known as "detroit country day school".. now hows that for a 'hood adolescence??...the fact is webber was beign paid 140K per year at age 18 and 19 and it should have been impossible for fisher not to notice a 19 year spending that kind of cash...where the hell were fisher and the a.d.'s eyes focused during basketball season???..seems like it was the "big ssssshhhhh"...eventually, the program got nabbed and is only now- 15 years later, climbing back to respectability under beilein who obviously is a longterm keeper in a-squared...i was not against the fab 5 and their faux-ghetto persona.....but they all basically bombed in the nba. in fact when juwan howard signed for outrageous money with the wizards, he become the early poster boy for very average nba talent getting ridiculously overpaid..webber was a blight in san francisco, gettign don nelson fired, came to d.c and reunited with howard...they practiced and played all blunted up and after a good first year they flopped together.jalen rose was an adequate at best nba guard..and i think ray jackson wound up playing in grece or something..jimmy king became a trivia question..so its not raw critcism of your heroes per se....its just the way it is....honoring the flub 5 at the finals after webber was the poster boy for being paid off seems at a minimum odd although its likely is gonna lead to some kind of clothing line endorsements- "the retro fab 5 look"...i'd much rather see them honor
robinson, rice andd that crew for winnign the title cleanly...or honor the great magic-greg kelser spartans championship... btw fisher won with talent not recurited by fisher...but they lacked the strut and the stylin'...so webber will prance out there with that boyish smile....and people will forget the blight he was throughout his underachieving careeer... he is far more me-first marbury than anything admirable in my book...the guy even perjured himself in a felony investiagtion for chrissakes...

[MasterBevo]

Damn Coach, what do you really think about the Fab 5?

You are a walking encyclopedia of knowledge... at times. I agree with most everything you said.. (at least, the parts I know anything about)..

From what I saw... Webber did actually have some pretty impressive skills.. of course, they were mostly wasted... so, hard to get fired up behind him.

I still won't watch the NBA until the have a rule requiring 2 Caucasion/Asian/Mexican players on the floor at all times. :p

[Hail to the Victors Valiant]

We all know that Coach and Bevo wear long baggy shorts because of the Fab 5's influence on modern day society :). While Webber dominated the game until Donald Williams nailed 3s, Michigan should have defeated UNC. But Michigan was a heavy underdog against Duke. So, did they really underachieve significantly.

Both Michigan and Duke need a guy like Webber or they'll never win a natl title. I agree that Beilein is a longIterm keeper.