NIT 2012: 5 Players That Must Be on Your Radar

Let's be honest, these players would much rather be playing in the NCAA Tournament than the NIT.

With that said, most of them are also playing with a chip on their shoulders for their respective teams getting snubbed.

That's usually the recipe for good basketball, and these 10 players should be on your radar as the tournament inches closer to the big stage at Madison Square Garden.

LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)

LaRon Dendy is one of the sole reason that the Blue Raiders are playing in the postseason. He is one of those scrappy players that fights for loose balls and is always good for getting the opposition in foul trouble.

If Dendy could get his free-throw shooting together, then who knows what the Blue Raiders could be doing as a mid-major in the NCAA Tournament.

Dendy transferred from Iowa State before this season and ended up averaging a shade under 15 points per game to go along with seven rebounds per game.

This guy will give Tennessee's big men fits in their second-round matchup in Knoxville.

Terrence Ross (Washington)

Terrence Ross is a major reason why the Washington Huskies are now in the NIT quarterfinals.

Ross is averaging over 25 points per game in two NIT wins, which includes nine field goals from behind the arc.

There aren't many players as dynamic as Ross as he can not only take over games with his offense, but he's a great rebounding guard as well.

Washington won the regular season Pac-12 title, but it wasn't enough to make the NCAA Tournament. That's probably motivation for Ross to play some of the best basketball of his collegiate career.

Reggie Johnson (Miami-Fla)

Reggie Johnson has emerged as one of the better big men in the ACC, and now his Hurricanes have a decent shot at winning their first NIT championship.

Johnson is obviously a great rebounder with his size, but he blocks shots as well.

If Johnson could become a more consistent threat on the offensive threat, then Miami would become a very dangerous team next season when Johnson is a senior.

Trae Golden (Tennessee)

A sluggish start to the season kept Tennessee from making the Big Dance despite beating such teams as Florida, Connecticut and Vanderbilt throughout the course of the regular season.

One of the reasons why the Volunteers made such a strong surge towards the end of the season was Trae Golden.

Golden runs the offense efficiently, and is capable of taking over games at any moment.

He'll play a major role in whether or not the Volunteers can defeating in-state rival Middle Tennessee in the second round of the NIT.

Chaz Williams (UMASS)

Massachusetts gave the 2012 NIT their first upset by taking down Mississippi State, who was once a solid lock for the NCAA Tournament.

Chaz Williams had 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. He added four three-pointers to that stat line that sounds like a Rajon Rondo stat line.

Williams gives the Minutemen a legitimate shot at winning the NIT championship and calling 2012 a very successful season.