NIT Tournament 2015: Bracket, Schedule and Top 1st-Round Matchups to Watch

If you need more of a college basketball fix before the NCAA tournament really gets going, the National Invitation Tournament is there to save you.

Sure, many people consider this event a consolation for missing out on the Big Dance, but there is no denying the fact there is loads of talent in this 32-team field. More importantly, every squad in the tournament has a chip on its shoulder after missing a chance to be part of March Madness.

This is certain to create some exciting matchups right from the start. Here is a full look at the NIT bracket with a breakdown of the opening games to watch.

Note: A full bracket is available for viewing at NCAA.com.

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

Top Games to Watch

Illinois State vs. Green Bay

USA TODAY Sports

These are two small schools that never were going to get consideration for the NCAA tournament as an at-large but certainly would have been dangerous if they got into the field. Both were extremely close as well with narrow losses in their conference title games.

Green Bay head coach Brian Wardle explained the issues with the selection process, via Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:

"

Getting an at-large bid as a mid-major is almost impossible. We have a difficult path and it's mainly because of scheduling.

You hear a bracket guy say, 'Their strength of schedule is in the 200s, they're not getting in.' There's nothing we can do about it. You have to play teams in your conference that bring numbers down. And then you're limited on resources and getting teams to play you in the non-conference

"

Despite these problems, Green Bay will get a chance to showcase its ability in the NIT. This is good for fans as they will get a chance to see Keifer Sykes, one of the most entertaining players in college basketball. The 6'0" point guard can be a one-man team at times while creating his own shots and scoring at will.

Meanwhile, Illinois State will counter with a great defense that is battled-tested after playing in a much tougher Missouri Valley Conference. The win over Wichita State proved what this group can do.

No matter which teams wins, it will definitely be an entertaining contest between teams that don't get enough attention.

Connecticut vs. Arizona State

USA TODAY Sports

The last few days were torture for bubble teams watching UConn tear through the AAC tournament. The Huskies weren't deserving of an at-large spot, but playing the conference tourney in Hartford gave the squad a serious chance to earn the automatic bid.

ESPN's Jay Williams was one of many expecting this to happen:

Connecticut eventually lost to SMU in the finals, but the squad showed in this run what it is capable of achieving. Ryan Boatright might not be Shabazz Napier or Kemba Walker, but he is close in his ability to take over games down the stretch and do whatever it takes to win.

The squad will now face another team that has played some good games down the stretch in Arizona State. While the Sun Devils are inconsistent, they have the talent to beat anyone as they showed in their upset wins over Arizona and UCLA.

If it is hitting its shots, Arizona State can win any game and make an interesting run through the NIT.

Illinois vs. Alabama

USA TODAY Sports

Although Illinois ruined its chances of an at-large bid with some bad losses down the stretch, the profile was much better than many gave credit for. The squad had an impressive set of wins over Maryland, Baylor and Michigan State and not that many bad losses.

With Rayvonte Rice running the show offensively, the Illini are a team that no one in the country would want to face.

On the other end, the question for Alabama will simply be what type of team shows up to play without its head coach:

Like bowl games in college football, this type of move either leads to inspired play under the new man in charge or a completely dead atmosphere with everyone just ready to end the season.

Either way, it will be entertaining.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter. If it's March, I'm talking about pretty much nothing but college basketball.