NIT 2012: Teams Guaranteed to Make the NCAA Tournament Next Season

Although the NIT Tournament is the NCAA Tournament's red-headed stepchild, you can often pluck some teams from the NIT and implant them in next year's NCAA Tournament.

These NIT teams are ones who were on the cusp of making the Big Dance but just missed and had their bubbles burst late in the season.

Here are some teams to look out for in 2013 that could make the leap from the NIT to the NCAA Tournament.

Drexel Dragons

After a record-setting season for Drexel that saw the team record 29 wins, their impressive season ended too soon when they dropped their quarterfinals matchup with UMass, 72-70.

But there is a reason to be looking up if you're a fan of the program.

Drexel presented a solid defense this season that ranked fifth in the country in scoring defense (56.1 PPG allowed), and they had a great home record of 15-1.

Both of those factors will greatly benefit this team moving forward.

Although senior big man Samme Givens (11.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG) will most likely have seen his last year at the school, he is the team's lone senior.

Sophomore and leading scorer, Frantz Massenat (13.7 PPG), and freshman Damion Lee (12.2 PPG) will both be a year older and better, which is an exciting prospect for the Drexel faithful.

Look out for the Dragons in 2013.

Washington Huskies

After a disappointing finish to their season that resulted in the NIT as opposed to the NCAA Tournament, the Washington Huskies are playing their best basketball of the season, although it's too little too late.

But that doesn't mean Washington can't build off this momentum with an NIT Championship, which could carry them to a great season in 2013.

Terrence Ross continues to impress and is the NIT's leading scorer at 26 PPG, and the sky's the limit for Ross if he remains with the Huskies beyond this season.

Alongside Ross, C.J. Wilcox, Tony Wroten Jr. and all-around guard Abdul Gaddy should be enough to propel the Huskies to the Big Dance in 2013 as long as all of them are around to do so.

Now all the Huskies have to do is figure out how to close out games better than they did in 2012.

UMass Minutemen

After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2012, UMass is looking at a bright future for 2013 that could include a bid to the Big Dance.

UMass has displayed an incredible amount of heart and most recently showed that with their come-from-behind victory against Drexel. UMass erased a 17-point deficit to advance to the semifinals of the NIT.

Head coach Derek Kellogg agrees.

“I’m glad the NIT picked us. The guys are finally maturing and learning to close out games and win on the road."

Led by Chaz Williams and Terrell Vinson, this team should be much-improved next season, with their best players being a year older and wiser. 

Using their new-found maturity, UMass should be dancing this time next year.

Stanford Cardinals

Stanford is normally NCAA Tournament-bound at this point in the season, but 2012 didn't end so well for the Cardinals.

But the NIT has sprung new life into the program, and their run to the quarterfinals has breathed some life into what was thought to be a dead season.

Stanford has proven to have some great outside shooting in their future during the NIT, headlined by freshmen Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright, who hit six three-pointers in the Cardinals' win over Illinois St. in their semifinals matchup.

Along with all-around threat Josh Owens, this team has all the pieces necessary to build a winning program moving forward.

With a young team developing and another year under their belt, there's no reason why Stanford shouldn't make enough strides to improve on their 23-11 record (16-3 at home) and be back in the Big Dance for 2013.

Arizona Wildcats

A disappointing ending to the season that resulted in the Arizona Wildcats missing the NCAA tournament and making a first-round exit out of the NIT might look bad, but the future is still bright.

Arizona was plagued by near-misses all season long, as the Wildcats found themselves losing plenty of tight games after buzzer-beaters, losing leads late and having off-court problems with some of their players.

While the graduation bug will bite Arizona, they still have many key players returning who showed flashes of brilliance this season.

Junior Solomon Hill has proven that he has the ability to take games over when the Wildcats need him to, while freshman Angelo Chol has shown he can be a force to be reckoned with in the paint defensively.

High-flying freshman Nick Johnson will also see a much-improved 2013 with a year of experience under his belt.

If Josiah Turner and Kevin Parrom can keep themselves out of trouble and on the floor, the Wildcats and their No. 1 recruiting class should have no problem making it to the Dance in 2013.