NIT 2012: 3 Reasons You Must Watch the Washington vs. Northwestern Showdown

The NIT doesn't have the best teams in the country battling in March, but that doesn't mean the tournament doesn't have some really exciting matchups worth your attention.

Friday night's showdown between No. 1 seed Washington and No. 4 seed Northwestern is a matchup between two schools who had strong cases to be part of March Madness, but ultimately were left out of the NCAA tournament.

Let's look at three reasons why you must watch this thrilling NIT game.

These teams should have been in the NCAA tournament

Northwestern and Washington had very good regular seasons but didn't do enough in their conference tournaments to earn a berth into March Madness.

The Huskies actually won the Pac-12 regular-season championship but lost in the first round of the conference tournament to Oregon State.

The Wildcats played well in a competitive Big Ten conference this season and had quality wins against Michigan State and Seton Hall of the Big East.

This will be a high-scoring game

For pure entertainment value, this matchup could be the best of this year's NIT. Northwestern scores just under 70 points per game, and Washington ranked 34th in the country with a 75.2 points per game average.

In three of their last four games, the Huskies scored 80 or more points. They can shoot well from the outside and score points in bunches.

Both teams like to get out in transition and ignite their fast break, so expect a fast-paced game with tons of excitement on Friday night.

Tony Wroten is a real joy to watch

Washington guard Tony Wroten was one of the best players in the Pac-12 this season and is a major part of the Huskies success at both ends of the floor this season.

Wroten averaged 16.7 points, five rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season for the Huskies as a freshman.

His athleticism and speed really helps the Huskies offense get into transition and get as many buckets on the fast break. He will be an exciting player to watch in this NIT showdown.