Being in the NIT means different things for different programs. Everyone wants to be in the NCAA Tournament, but some have that as an expectation. In light of that, every year there’s an NIT surprise or two, often one that involves a team that almost made the NCAA Tournament putting up a clunker when they bow out.
On the first night, we probably saw that with Seton Hall being handled easily by Texas Tech. Another case of this nearly happened in a battle of Huskies that Connecticut barely won over Northeastern thanks to a 9-2 run in the final minutes.
Seton Hall went 9-9 in the Big East but did not make the NCAA Tournament, a result of not getting enough quality wins along the way. Connecticut had a disappointing regular season, going 7-11 in the Big East and then getting blown out by St. John’s in the Big East Tournament. It would be easy for either team to play with some disappointment from not being in the NCAA Tournament and then losing a game they shouldn’t, especially a team like Connecticut where the bar has been raised to set expectations of not only reaching the tournament, but making a deep run.
“You’ll see the Northeastern Universities of the world – and I’ve been there, for 14 years – and understand what these games mean to you and the opportunity,” said Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun.
On the other hand, you have a program like Northeastern, which was making just its second NIT appearance in program history and hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991. For a program like this, in a conference that is typically a one or two-bid conference, NCAA Tournament opportunities aren’t exactly plentiful. Since their last trip to the NCAA Tournament, Northeastern has twice played in the NIT and played in the CBI last year. For them, being in the NIT is a big deal.
“I thought it was an honor for our program to be playing at this time of the year,” said Northeastern head coach Bill Coen. “I know our kids were excited about it, our fans were excited about it, our student body was excited about it, and I know I was excited about.”
Further demonstrating this is that Northeastern and Connecticut played in front of a crowd of 5,571 (Gampel Pavilion’s capacity is twice that), with a good number of fans for the school two hours away from the campus. This is Northeastern – a school that has had a hard time drawing even 1,000 fans over the years to its home games in pro-dominated Boston. Now they had a significant cheering section in an arena that normally is dominated by home fans
Northeastern played like it, too, playing with confidence and a sense of urgency all game long. Even when Connecticut got going and seemed like they could be a play or two away from breaking the game open, Northeastern kept running their offense solidly and had just six turnovers all game. They didn’t look like a team reeling from a heart-breaking loss to William & Mary in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament a week earlier; rather, they looked like a team with new life.
Connecticut started the game and the second half very sluggishly, so it’s easy to think they might have been playing with some disappointment. They insist otherwise, and it’s not impossible to believe considering they weren’t really on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, not after being blown out by St. John’s when they really needed to make a run in the Big East Tournament.
“It’s our fault we’re in the NIT,” sophomore guard Kemba Walker said. “At this point, we’re only thinking about winning the NIT. This is where we’re at, and we can’t change it.”
The general thinking seemed to be similar: they would rather be in the NCAA Tournament, but they know this is what they have in front of them.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’d definitely like to be in the NCAA Tournament, but this is the hand of cards we’re dealt and we’re just going to make the best of it,” said senior forward Gavin Edwards.
A night later, it was clear that if Rhode Island had any disappointment about being in the NIT for the third straight season, they got over it pretty quickly. The Rams played terrific defense all night long against Northwestern en route to a 76-64 win over the Wildcats. They were aggressive all night long and very loose in the post-game interviews. Will Martell, who started off strong, was engaging in some self-deprecating humor and happy to be in the tournament.
“Of course we’re disappointed that we didn’t make the NCAA (Tournament),” said the junior big man. “I think we had an argument. I think as a team, as a program, we moved on and we realized, hey let’s get to (Madison Square) Garden, that’s the new goal.”
At this point, the Rams have set the goal of getting to Madison Square Garden for the NIT Final Four. They understand where they’re at, even while some in the fan base aren’t very happy about being in the NIT again. They want the NCAA Tournament, and some think the coach needs to change because of that. But the players take a different view, as does the coach, who’s continued to do a solid job of running the program.
“You could put your head down, and I was real concerned when we didn’t get the invite (to the NCAA Tournament),” head coach Jim Baron said. “To come back and play against a very good Northwestern team that has 20 wins, that beat Notre Dame, beat Iowa State, beat Purdue, beat Minnesota, it’s a heck of a team and it’s a heck of a win for us.”
With the CBI and CollegeInsider Tournament (CIT), the postseason tournaments aside from the NCAA might seem like little more than alphabet soup to the casual fan. But for a number of teams, it’s an opportunity in a couple of ways. It’s a chance to play in a tournament recognizing the season they had. It’s a chance to play for a championship. And for teams with underclassmen, it’s a chance for more practice days and more games, which can only help.
This year’s CAA champions, Old Dominion, played in the CBI two seasons ago and won the CIT last season. The Monarchs thus entered this season with a lot of players who gained extra experience from those tournaments, and that had to have helped in their development. Though they had just two seniors and two redshirt juniors on the roster, this team came in more experienced than that might indicate.
But besides all of that, sometimes there’s a simple benefit to playing in a tournament like the NIT.
“The NIT isn’t the NCAA, but it’s better than sitting at home not playing,” said Rhode Island freshman Akeem Richmond.
Since players play the game, that right there is reason enough to keep competing.
