NIT Tournament Bracket 2013: Highlighting Scariest Underdogs

While most of America turns its eyes to the 2013 NCAA tournament, others will be keeping a close eye on the 2013 National Invitation Tournament.

Every year, a handful of teams that may have been snubbed from the Big Dance or simply weren't good enough to earn a bid are invited to play in the NIT, where the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats are a No. 1 seed this March.

Alabama, Southern Miss and Virginia round out the top seeds.

With the tournament action set to get underway, let's take a closer look at the scariest underdogs in this year's field.

*Click here to view the 2013 NIT bracket.

Indiana State Sycamores

The Sycamores may be a No. 6 seed in the NIT this March, but make no mistake about it—Indiana State is a threat to win it all. 

Greg Lansing's squad boasts huge wins over four NCAA tournament teams this season, having knocked off Ole Miss, Miami, Wichita State and Creighton, which all rank in the RPI Top 50. Indiana State needed overtime to take out the Rebels and Hurricanes, but it showed great poise in winning each of those games.

Keep an eye out for 6'4" junior guard Jake Odum, who can score and create better than most. He leads the Sycamores with 13.8 points and 4.6 assists per game this year.

Indiana State will take on third-seeded Iowa on the road in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday.

Robert Morris Colonials 

Robert Morris was the favorite to win the Northeast Conference and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for most of this season until the regular-season champs fell at home to Mount St. Mary's in the semifinals of the NEC tournament.

The Colonials feature four talented scorers in Karvel Anderson, Lucky Jones, Velton Jones and Russell Johnson (pictured above), who will all be looking to step up in the team's first-round collision with top seed Kentucky.

Robert Morris will have a huge home-court advantage against the Wildcats on Tuesday, and it loves to score points at home (76.8 points per game over last five home games). 

Given Kentucky's immense struggles away from home since losing big man Nerlens Noel for the season (0-4 away from Lexington without Noel), look for the Colonials to shock the reigning national champions inside a sold-out and raucous Charles L. Sewall Center. 

Washington Huskies

Washington fell by just three points to eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon in the conference tournament last week and boasts impressive wins over Saint Louis, Colorado and Cal this season; all three are NCAA tournament teams.

The sixth-seeded Huskies finished .500 in the Pac-12 this season and have won four of six coming into Tuesday's matchup with Brigham Young. Meanwhile, the Cougars have lost three of four overall and their best win this season came against Montana.

Led by junior guard C.J. Wilcox (16.7 points per game) and seven-foot senior Aziz N'Diaye on the glass (9.2 rebounds per game), Washington is poised to make a decent run in the NIT in 2013.

If the Huskies can get past BYU on Tuesday, they could easily make a return to the NIT semifinals for the second straight year.

Be sure you stay updated throughout March Madness with Bleacher Report's live 2013 NCAA tournament bracket. And don't forget to download and print one of your own. 

Make your picks for the 2013 NCAA tournament here with the Bracket Challenge Game

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