NIT 2015: Schedule, Predictions, Seeds, Format and More

For those whose alma mater didn't make its way into the Big Dance, or the basketball-crazed few who need even more college hoops than the 63 games the NCAA tournament will provide, there is always the National Invitational Tournament.

The NIT completed its own version of Selection Sunday, with 32 teams all set to compete for some postseason hardware. The NIT is often a proving ground for young squads, as teams that do well in the tournament this season may someday soon find themselves competing with the big dogs in the Big Dance.

CBS Sports' Matt Norlander provided a look at the bracket:

Temple, Colorado State, Old Dominion and Richmond all secured No. 1 seeds in this year's edition of the NIT. Of course, this also highlights how close they came to making the top tourney, as the first four teams out of Big Dance take these seeds. 

Last year's champion, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, won't be going for a repeat in this one. They finished 18-15 this year, 10th in the Big Ten conference.

Printable Bracket

A complete bracket can be found here.

Format, Schedule

Dates	Rounds	Venue
March 17-18	First-Round Games	Campus sites
March 20-23	Second-Round Games	Campus sites
March 24-25	Quarterfinal Games	Campus sites
March 31	Semifinals	Madison Square Garden
April 2	NIT Championship	Madison Square Garden

The 32 teams compete in a simple single-elimination bracket. Unlike the NCAA tournament, there are no play-in games. Teams received automatic bids into the NIT if they won the regular-season championship in their conference but were not selected for the NCAA tournament, per NCAA.com.

Seedings, Predictions

March 17 Games
March 18 Games
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. No. 5 George Washington	7 p.m.	ESPN	Pittsburgh
No. 2 Miami (FL.) vs. No. 7 N.C. Central	7 p.m.	ESPN2	Miami
No. 3 Rhode Island vs. No. 6 Iona	7 p.m.	ESPNU	Rhode Island
No. 3 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 6 Central Michigan	7:30 p.m.	ESPN3	Central Michigan
No. 2 Tulsa vs. No. 7 William & Mary	8:15 p.m.	ESPN3	Tulsa
No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Montana	9 p.m.	ESPNU	Texas A&M
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 6 Alabama	9 p.m.	ESPN	Illinois
No. 3 Murray State vs. No. 6 UTEP	9 p.m.	ESPN2	Murray State
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 7 UC-Davis	11 p.m.	ESPN2	UC-Davis
Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
No. 1 Temple vs. No. 8 Bucknell	7 p.m.	ESPN3	Temple
No. 4 Connecticut vs. No. 5 Arizona State	7 p.m.	ESPN2	Arizona State
No. 1 Old Dominion vs. No. 8 Charleston Southern	7:15 p.m.	ESPN3	ODU
No. 1 Richmond vs. No. 8 St. Francis Brooklyn	7:30 p.m.	ESPN3	Richmond
No. 4 Illinois State vs. No 5 Green Bay	8 p.m.	ESPNU	Green Bay
No. 4 St. Mary's vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt	9 p.m.	ESPN2	Vanderbilt
No. 1 Colorado State vs. No. 8 South Dakota State	10 p.m.	ESPNU	Colorado State

Teams to Watch, Championship Prediction

If they weren't playing a tough Stanford squad in the first round, UC-Davis might be a Cinderella team to watch. The Aggies shot a blistering 45 percent as a team from downtown, the best mark in Division I basketball. The barrage of threes is a sight to see, which makes their matchup against The Cardinal one of the must-see games of the first round.

Speaking of Stanford, they have one of the most exciting players in the NIT in senior guard Chasson Randle. The Illinois native is averaging 18.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this season.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

His latest claim to fame was drilling a game-winning three-pointer to lift Stanford over Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament. Pac-12 Networks' J.B. Long noted he's no stranger to big performances when the games matter most:

"

After last night's game-winner, @stanfordbball Chasson Randle has more career conference tourney points (118) than any major conf player.

— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) March 12, 2015"

Look for him to carry his conference tournament magic over to the NIT and take Stanford to a semifinals appearance.

Murray State looked bound for the Big Dance as an automatic bid, but a crushing 88-87 loss to Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game dashed their dreams. Still, SB Nation's Andy Hutchins believes Murray State was deserving of an at-large bid:

"

If we're talking about the best teams to miss the NCAA Tournament, we have to talk about Murray State, which had a poor enough RPI (because of losses to Houston and Portland) to not even merit real consideration for this field. But the Racers did win 25 straight games, and had, in Cameron Payne, a player who would've matched up with virtually every point guard in the field.

"

Mid-majors don't often get a chance to shine on the national stage, so look for the Racers to take out their frustrations on the NIT teams and make a surprise run to the semifinals. However, Stanford should be able to pip them in the semifinals due to their experience playing in big games as member of the Pac-12.

Joe Raymond/Associated Press

On the opposite side of the bracket, Miami and Temple should be able to reach the semifinals. The 'Canes were a bubble team for the NCAA tournament, and head coach Jim Larranaga pleaded his squad's case to no avail on ESPN on Sunday.

“We had the best road win in the country of any of the bubble teams,’’ he said, per Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald. “We beat Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. A lot of teams we are competing with, their record at home is good, but not nearly as good as ours on the road or neutral courts."

Center Tonye Jekiri is a dominant force inside (10.2 rebounds per game) and should be a handful for any team Miami faces in this tournament. The team can also rely on slick-scoring junior guard Sheldon McClellan to lead the way on offense.

As for Temple, they were the first team left out of the Big Dance, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Marc Narducci, a fact that doesn't sit well with point guard Will Cummings.

"Honestly, it is never going to settle in," Cummings said, via Narducci. "I will always have that chip on my shoulder, that anger, just knowing that we didn't get in with all the hard work we put in and then try to build our resume."

Look for the Owls to beat up on Bucknell in their opening tilt and take their talents all the way to the semifinals, where they will lose to Miami, who will then go on an defeat Stanford in the 2015 NIT championship contest.

NIT champion: Miami Hurricanes