How many people actually watched the consolation game between the NCAA Tournament Final Four losers which used to precede the championship game?
How many people actually watch the entire consolation tournament, the N.I.T., or National Invitation Tournament?
So strong is the stigma of the post-season N.I.T as a consolation fixture, that when "bubble teams" have their chances burst before their eyes on Selection Sunday, many teams only dread having to play in the tournament of losers.
Since it consists of teams who failed to receive a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the NIT has often been called the "Not Invited Tournament", "Not Important Tournament", "Nobody's Interested Tournament", or simply "Not In Tournament".
The 1976, N.C. State, which had won the NCAA Tournament title the previous year, refused to play in the N.I.T. Since then, schools including Georgetown and Louisville have declined to have their school name sullied by the N.I.T.
The N.I.T. has taken the invitation section in N.I.T. too far. You don't see the NCAA Tounament requesting an RSVP by a certain date. You don't hear about any university rejecting a bid in the NCAA Tournament. Clearly there is something wrong when some teams reply, "cannot attend."
Though it is the oldest college-basketball tournament (since 1938), it has become out-dated and out-bested by the NCAA Tournament.
Maybe it's time to end the era of the post-season N.I.T., and make the N.I.T. a one-time-a-year thing: the preseason tournament. The preseason N.I.T. is one of the classic preseason sporting events. It easily beats out NFL, NBA, and MLB preseasons. But the post-season "Tournament of Losers" does as much harm as the preseason N.I.T. does good.
To the NCAA: End the embarrassing era of the post-season N.I.T., and restore the N.I.T.'s good name by only having a preseason tournament.
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3 months ago
Unfortunately for a lot of fans who did not watch the NIT championship game tonight, they missed one hell of a contest--Very fast paced chalked full of highlights.....very good quality basketball. What the postseason NIT does is give the last teams out a chance to showcase their talents, because the best 65 teams DO NOT get into the tournament. At least with this opportuinity, no one has to listen to those last teams out complain the entire time about how they deserved to be in the tourney; rather they go back out on the court and play. I would also argue with the fact you called this the not important tournament--it gives valuable postseason-atmosphere experience, which helps kids grow up in a hurry. One could even say that this postseason NIT tourney helps improve the quality of college ball by providing fringe teams the chance to make strides, such as Ohio State this year. So I respectfully disagree with your opinion.
from 3 months ago
That is where the NCAA fails. It is not the best 64 or 65 teams, it's whoever wins a conference. Mississippi Valley State I believe who played UCLA and only scored 29 points should not have been in that tournament of Syracuse or Ohio State.
3 months ago
I agree with Cody's disagreement.
Among other games, a match-up like Florida at Arizona State was excellent to watch.
Finally getting to see UMass play basketball was awesome. Those jokers are non-stop. Travis Ford needs a big-time job. Ohio State was impressive holding them off last night.
3 months ago
I love the NIT. I think winning the NIT is more impressive than being "one and done" in the Dance...and depending how your second game goes, I might even take winning the NIT over a 2nd round exit(obviously anything in the Sweet 16 or further trumps the NIT). And I say this as someone whose alma mater WAS one and done last year.
Ohio State showed alot of maturity and poise in this tournament which will no doubt help them next year. Congrats to the Buckeyes.
3 months ago
Could be worse.
Your favorite team could've been a number 1 seed in the CBI... and lost.
(Which might've been a blessing in disguise.)
3 months ago
Yeah I gotta agree with cody and the rest, the NIT still has a niche. Just not a niche that any casual fans give a damn about. Hardcore college basketball fans will always enjoy it. Also, it gives NBA scouts more opportunities to see good players on bad teams, maybe pick out a sleeper or two for the second round of the draft.
3 months ago
This article shows how ignorant people in can be. So because you're not one of the top 34 teams in the nation who did not receive an at large bid you don't deserve to have a post season? Why don't you stop thinking about yourself for a change and think about the players? Are fans really that self centered? Think about how much the NIT meant for the boys of Ohio St., ESPECIALLY the graduating ones. Why should their last game have to be losing to Michigan St. in the Big 10 tournament? They earned a post season and they made the most of it. The most important fact is, Ohio St.'s team is mostly made up of freshman and sophomores, you can't tell me that winning the NIT won't have huge payoffs for them next year in the tournament. Instead of trying to cancel a tournament, maybe you should write to extend it to 64 teams to give more teams a post season and a great experience. To me doing that makes more sense then making the NCAA tournament 128 teams.
3 months ago
Andrew is on point,
Last year when my team (WVU) didn't make the tourney I was crushed. But those mountaineer seniors enjoyed that NIT championship more than any of us fans. Just playing basketball and grasping on to those few moments left in their college careers. NIT rewards post season play for good teams in great conferences that get jobbed over the NCAA's 12-16 seeds who usually get erased by halftime of the first round.
3 months ago
I don't think it's really fair to blame all the mid-majors for getting into the NCAA either though James. You can't have a "true" national championship without inviting every conference winner. The 16's and 15's don't have much of a shot true, but I wouldn't trade throwing a Syracuse into the draw just to take away the chance that a Belmont could beat Duke(which nearly happened).
Besides I wouldn't bitch too much about 12 seeds - nearly every tournament a 12 knocks off a 5. Plenty of 13's have won thru the years as well.
3 months ago
The main problem I have is that the NIT has become somewhat of a disgrace. It definitely has the potential to be considered a great tournament, but it is nonetheless a "consolation" tournament. Since 1975, even prestigious universities, such as Oklahoma State, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Georgetown, have declined spots in the NIT. For some younger teams it might be a good experience, but the NIT's bad name sullies the reputations of great schools like the aforementioned. And when even many coaches and players see making the NIT as a letdown, something is wrong.
from 3 months ago
Your problem with the NIT is that it's become a consolation tournament? THAT'S WHAT IT IS! I guess we could call it the NCAA2 tournament, but personally I think that would make it look even more like a consolation tournament. Stupid things that actually look like what they are supposed to be! All those teams have have accepted spots in the NIT at other times as well. Maryland played there this year along with Oklahoma State. If those Universities rejected the invitation I'm sure they had a specific reason for it at the time. If you want to talk about prestigious Universities why don't you look at Ohio St? Last year they played for the Nation Championship, and this year they were in the NIT. They didn't care, they won the tournament. There's nothing wrong with the NIT, just ignorant high schoolers who think they know everything.
from 3 months ago
The only one's who enjoy watching the NIT are the ones who attend the colleges who make the NIT, like you who goes to Minnesota. If you enjoy watching the consolation tournament to root your alma mater on, I'm happy for you. But us "ignorant high schoolers" enjoy watching superior teams in the NCAA Tournament.
from 3 months ago
I'm a Wisconsin Badger fan, yes I'm happy for the Minnesota program and the fact that they aren't pathetic anymore, but I really don't care if they made the NIT or not. Maybe some day you'll actually realize that teams can't be 'superior' every year. That's why the NIT gives a great tournament experience to teams that are good, just not good enough to make the NCAA tournament. Please tell me that Ohio St. 1st in the AP and 2nd place in the tournament last year is not a superior team. Please tell me that back to back National Champions Florida is not a superior team. Please tell me that Syracuse, Arizona St, and Virginia Tech aren't superior teams. Have some respect for teams that just might have a down year, but they have a tremendous basketball program. Have some respect for the fans of the schools that play in the NIT. Most importantly, have some respect for the kids who work their asses off all year and play in the NIT and want a good post season experience. The truth is that all those hundreds of thousands of people that the NIT affects in a good way far outweigh you who just thinks that the only fun kind of basketball to watch is UNC. Get a grip and have respect for how the world works. You don't matter, all those other people do.
from 3 months ago
The only way the NIT wouldn't be a consolation tournament is if they had won their lawsuit a few years ago. Instead the NCAA settled and bought the rights to the NIT for 10 years for like 60 million bucks.
If the NIT had won that anti-trust lawsuit it would've opened up the NIT being able to offer schools like Kansas a chance to play in the NIT over the NCAA and you could in essence have a split title.
Back in the 30-50's that's what the NIT did. The NCAA mostly awarded conference champions bids, but the NIT was free to offer spots to independents(of which there were many back then) of 2nd place finishers in conferences. The NCAA wasn't a governing body as of yet...that took awhile for them to take control of college athletics.
Many times the NIT had the stronger field. It wasn't really until the late 50's that the NCAA supplanted the NIT, and even then the NIT was very relevant for about 20 more years. Marquette's squad that won the NIT in 1970 probably could've won the NCAA too. It was after Marquette played in the NIT over the NCAA(who by then had become the rulers of college athletics) that the rule was passed.
The NIT still matters to many people that are true hoops fans from Midnight Madness in October to early April. But you're right in the average Joe who turns on college basketball the first week in March don't care about it. But frankly...I don't care about those fans either.
from 3 months ago
For the record--I'm not the 'average Joe who turns on college b-ball the first week of March.' I actually watch College Basketball often, since it is much better, in my opinion, than the pro game. You make it seem like it's not normal to rather watch a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament than the NIT. I think the NIT is a boring tournament for all the millions of 'average Joe's' who don't watch it, and do watch the NCAA Tournament. I believe You are part of the minority who watches the NIT intently. Props to you, but in my 'average Joe' opinion, the NIT has become a disgrace/joke, and should be cleaned up so more people can appreciate it.
from 3 months ago
No, I'd rather watch the NCAA's too. But let's look at some stats real fast.
There are about 340 schools that play D1 basketball.
65 play in the Big Dance
32 play in the NIT
16 play in the CBI
So 113 is roughly a third that play in some sort of postseason.
Over half of the NBA and NHL make the playoffs. Over 50% of college football teams play in Bowl games. The NFL has about 40%. Only MLB has less.
If you want to expand the tournament field to like 128 schools then go for it...but that would be too wieldy IMHO. Untill that happens I don't think it's fair to say "no" to all these other schools. My alma mater for exmple won 20 games this year and didn't make ANY postseason tournament. I woulda loved to have played somewhere...NIT...CBI...anywhere.
from 3 months ago
Actually average joe, I like that name because it fits you extremely well, you perfectly fit the average American sports fan who only thinks of themselves and not the actual people involved in the game. You've changed your story now, you did not ask for the NIT to be cleaned up so people could appreciate it, you asked for the NIT to be canceled and cease to exist.
You managed to insult 32 schools, 32 basketball coaches, 32 basketball teams, not to mentions hundreds of thousands of fans of those 32 schools, and every person who worked extremely hard to put the NIT together and make it happen. When you insult that many people you really don't think someone's going to get pissed at you and shove your stupidity in your face?
CJ, I liked the history lesson. I didn't know that about Marquette, that's really interesting.
from 3 months ago
Andrew- I can't help but laugh how low you've sunk to such a low level and how immature you've acted when posting. I guess nobody taught you any respect. Thanks for giving me a good laugh, I guess we'll agree to disagree.
from 3 months ago
Andrew - it's mentioned on wikipedia(though I've also read it elsewhere). Here's their summation.
"As late as 1970, Coach Al McGuire of Marquette, the 8th-ranked team in the final AP poll of the season, spurned an NCAA bid in protest of his team's placement in the Midwest Region, where his team would have to have played games further away from home than it would if it were in the Mideast Region. The team played the NIT instead, which they won. Such an action would be a violation of NCAA rules today. One of the “traditions” Marquette hangs its hat on is the legendary McGuire one-upping the NCAA in 1970 after receiving an unfavorable regional assignment. These independent schools showcased some of the top basketball of that decade and it is certainly within the realm of possibility that the 1970 team could have won either tournament"
Obviously Marquette would've had to defeat Wooden, but I don't believe that wasn't one of his DOMINANT squads(even though they only lost 1 game & won it all). Lew Alcindor was there anymore and Walton wasn't eligible yet(I think he was a freshman). UCLA was beatable - though no one did.
from 3 months ago
Err...Josh, you write an immature article, expect flak. You know what else the NIT gives besides extra game time experience? Extra practices for the teams that help IMMENSELY towards player development for the next season.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where anything second-place is deemed unacceptable. Ohio State loses national championship games; they're deemed a failure. The NIT is a consolation tournament; it's a joke. Womens basketball on any level, non BCS Bowl Games, etc., etc., etc.
If you don't want to watch the NIT because it doesn't have the grandeur of the NCAA tournament, no problem, that's your perrogative. If you don't want to watch because you feel that the basketball being played isn't as competetive, well, from what I saw, you missed some fun basketball games and that isn't even counting the semi's and the final.
And what do you mean by "cleaned up?" Do you want to try and find a way so that teams like Memphis will skip the NCAA to play in the NIT? Again, the NIT is a consolation tournament meant to reward teams who had decent seasons but weren't good enough to play in the NCAA's. Just because it isn't the NCAA's doesn't mean it's "embarrassing" or a "tournament of losers." That's just hatred spewing out of your mouth.
from 3 months ago
Fair enough, Erick--you're entitled to your opinion. What I meant by "cleaned up" was obviously not that great teams would play in the N.I.T.--they deserve to play in the NCAA. In fact, I'll admit--I'm not sure how the NCAA can/should do it, but if they want expanded viewers like me, they'll have to offer something that the NCAA doesn't. The NIT provides a second chance and like you said, extra practices for young players--agreed, but I think something should be done to make it more exciting and compelling for people like me who don't enjoy watching it right now because of it's sullied name. And also, I don't call it the "Tournament of Losers" parse, all of the quoted names are names floating around that I've heard. I play high school basketball. We finished one game out of the playoffs and I would've loved if there was a "second chance" type thing for us, but the N.I.T. in my opinion is kind of lame. I truly hope that it can be revitalized and respected because I want to care what happens in it--but I, and many others, just don't.
from 3 months ago
Josh I do think progress towards that end has been made. The last 2-3 years the NIT has been better covered by the ESPN family of networks. If you go back to the early 90's when I was a young pup - the NIT got almost NO coverage except for the semi finals and finals. Another game here or there got televised and that was it.
Do you realize that all 31 NIT games were on the tube this year. The NCAA is using their weight to try and make the NIT more respected again. The old organzers of the NIT, the MIBA(made up of 5 schools in NYC) had lost a ton of clout the last couple of decades. That's why they sued the NCAA. In a way they got their wish. They got paid and their old baby is being remade by the NCAA.
from 3 months ago
"I can't help but laugh how low you've sunk to such a low level and how immature you've acted when posting."
Usually I'll only insult stupid ideas like all of yours, but seriously you make it so easy. Please go back to freshman year, probably where you should be, and retake English. Thanks.
from 3 months ago
Andrew, you've said your bit; you disagree with the guy's opinion, just as I do.
Step back for a second, though, and realize that you are a college kid making fun of a high school student for his opinion on the NIT.
Let's try to keep this about basketball--not retaking freshman English. Just my 2 cents.
from 3 months ago
Just having a bit of fun. I reserve my right to make fun of people who insult thousands thanks. I'll be done though and let other people explain to him why his opinion in so insulting. Look for my new article after the National Championship, you'll really like it because it incorporates the NIT.
3 months ago
The NIT has a purpose. It is for the teams who didn't make it to the NCAA tournament. They are very good teams with a lot of talent. You may think it is pointless, but it does a lot of good for some schools. Ohio State, for example, played tremendously well throughout the whole NIT tournament. These teams in the NIT deserve the chance to play for something, as most of them in the tournament did pretty good during the regular season.
3 months ago
"How many people actually watch the consolation game between the NCAA Tournament Final Four losers which precedes the championship game?"
Um, didn't they stop playing this game decades ago?
3 months ago
I thought I wrote that in the past tense, my bad. Maybe someone who edited accidentally changed it or maybe it was my bad. Good call, though.
3 months ago
What if the first round losers of the NCAA tournament were matched up against 32 other teams in the NIT?
3 months ago
I agree with you. I haven't watched a single minute of the NIT.
3 months ago
For those who love watching underdogs win, the NIT is a great tournament. The NIT provides teams, such as Dayton or UMass this year, or my favorite Manhattan College from previous years, an opportunity to play against bigger teams and prove that they can win. It gives these lesser known schools a chance to put their school on the map, even though it will not be accomplished by upsetting UNC in the NCAA tournament.
Good teams make the NIT. There are certainly good games throughout the NIT. Honestly, you may be busy with the NCAA tournament, just to make sure your bracket is correct. However, you would be stupid to not flip on the NIT.
I like the point that some people made that a senior does not want his final game to be a loss in the conference tournament. This gives them another chance to play. Also, schools can try to prove to the NCAA committee that they deserved a spot in the NCAA field. It really is a great tournament. The semis and finals are played in the most famous arena in the world (Madison Square Garden). Honestly, it must be a great experience.
from 3 months ago
Forget the NIT, your Manhattan College team did a number on my Gators in the NCAA's a few years back Ari!!!
from 3 months ago
Ah yes, the dreaded 5/12 match-up with an ailing Matt Walsh.
from 3 months ago
Manhattan, Massachusets, Michigan State, teams with the letter "M" haven't been kind to the Gators in the postseason.
from 3 months ago
Believe me, I do remember. I was giving an example of the opportunity that the N.I.T. gives to schools that were good enough to make the tourney, but get squeezed out because they are just mid-major.
3 months ago
this is way off base, the NIT provides teams who got snubbed such as Ohio State and Florida a chance to continue playing and become a better team, this tournament really helped develope the florida gators who are poised for a run next season
3 months ago
I never watch the NIT, im not ssure why youd wanna with march madness going on
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