2013 National Invitational
Tournament (NIT) Predictions
History
of the NIT: As many fans are aware, the NIT is
different from the other “extra” tournaments in that for many years it was
considered equal or superior to the NCAA Tournament. That changed in 1975 when
the NCAA Tournament did away with their 1-team per conference limit. From then
on the NIT was a consolation tournament.
In the years since then
the tourney has gone through many changes, but the format has been consistent
now for nearly a decade. It is a straight 32-team tournament, seeded from start
to finish. All games are played at campus sites until the semifinals when the
scene shifts to Madison Square Garden in New York.
Championship
History: It doesn’t make much sense to recount the NIT’s
championship history all the way back to its inception in 1938. For all intents
and purposes the pre-1975 NIT is a different tournament from the NIT since 1975.
It makes more sense to look at the championship history since the tournament
became the secondary postseason tourney that it is today.
8 teams have won
multiple NIT’s over the last 38 years. Minnesota, Tulsa, Stanford, South
Carolina, Ohio State, Virginia, and St. John’s have each won twice. Michigan
has won 3 NIT’s over the last 30 years.
The
Field: The NIT gets first dibs for teams after the NCAA
Tournament. Any high major teams that were on the bubble and did not get a bid
to the NCAA Tournament will receive bids from the NIT. There was a time when
declining an NIT invite became a bit of a trend, but that’s a rarity at this
point. The NIT also gives automatic bids to any regular season conference
champion that lost in their conference tournament and did not receive an
at-large bid to the Big Dance. Thus, the NIT is made up of decent teams from
high major programs, along with many of the top teams from mid and low major
conference. It is definitely the strongest field outside of the NCAA
Tournament.
Tournament
Structure: One of the best things about the NIT is
that it is very easy to make predictions for the tournament. Teams are seeded
from the beginning and are not reseeded at any point. There is an actual
bracket that can be filled out just like the NCAA Tournament but with just 32
teams. The first 3 rounds are played at campus sites. The semifinals and finals
are played in New York.
Once again this year,
the only thing I have added to the NIT bracket is titles to the different
regions for clarification purposes. Here are my picks.
First
Round
North
#1 Kentucky over #8
Robert Morris
#2 Baylor over #7 Long
Beach State
#3 Arizona State over
#6 Detroit
#4 Providence over #5
Charlotte
South
#1 Southern Mississippi
over #8 Charleston Southern
#2 Tennessee over #7
Mercer
#3 BYU over #6
Washington
#5 Louisiana Tech over
#4 Florida State
West
#1 Alabama over #8
Northeastern
#2 Maryland over #7
Niagara
#3 Denver over #6 Ohio
#4 Stanford over #5
Stephen F. Austin
East
#1 Virginia over #8
Norfolk State
#2 Massachusetts over
#7 Stony Brook
#3 Iowa over #6 Indiana
State
#4 St. Joseph’s over #5
St. John’s
Second
Round
North
#1 Kentucky over #4
Providence
#2 Baylor over #3
Arizona State
South
#1 Southern Mississippi
over #5 Louisiana Tech
#2 Tennessee over #3
BYU
West
#1 Alabama over #4
Stanford
#2 Maryland over #3
Denver
East
#1 Virginia over #4 St.
Joseph’s
#3 Iowa over #2
Massachusetts
Quarterfinals
North
#1 Kentucky over #2
Baylor
South
#2 Tennessee over #1
Southern Mississippi
West
#1 Alabama over #2
Maryland
East
#3 Iowa over #1
Virginia
Semifinals
#2 Tennessee over #1
Kentucky
#3 Iowa over #1 Alabama
Finals
#2 Tennessee over #3
Iowa
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