Way to get interest back into the NIT

[JeffNights]

Just an idea..How about giving the winner of the NIT an automatic berth in the following years NCAA Tourney?

For the teams that win it and build onto next season and would make it in anyway, it reverts back to the same system, if the team that wins has a crappy season the next one, just put them in the play-in game.

why not?

[Neuqua]

If they suck ass the next year, then there'll be bitching that they take up the spot of a more deserving atlarge team the next year.

[jbmagic]

Your better off doing NIT tourney winner vs NCAA tourney winner.

You probably get some interest from viewers to see if the NIT tourney team can get an upset.

[Groundhog]

How about winner of the NIT at the very least gets to play in the "play-in" game if they don't make the Tourney the next season?

[sterlingice]

Your better off doing NIT tourney winner vs NCAA tourney winner.

You probably get some interest from viewers to see if the NIT tourney team can get an upset.

As long as that doesn't count as the national championship? Nothing like battling through a grueling tourney and winning 6 straight only to get knocked off by the fresher team who beat the #10 team in the Big East, #5 in the Missouri Valley, and #6 in the Big XII...

If it counted for the championship, you'd see all sorts of teams trying to back their way into the NIT as it would be the path of least resistance.

SI

[st.cronin]

The NIT is like the San Francisco Bowl or something. It's just a way to get some young players more p/t.

[molson]

If they suck ass the next year, then there'll be bitching that they take up the spot of a more deserving atlarge team the next year.

You could add the NIT winner without changing the number of automatic or at-large bids by adding a second play-in game, and expanding the field to 66. I'd be all for that - a Tuesday night doubleheader in Dayton to kick of the tournament.

[Schmidty]

Just an idea..How about giving the winner of the NIT an automatic berth in the following years NCAA Tourney?

For the teams that win it and build onto next season and would make it in anyway, it reverts back to the same system, if the team that wins has a crappy season the next one, just put them in the play-in game.

why not?

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!

You're a Michigan fan aren't you.

Get used to it, Wolverette fan. Nobody cares about that cap. It is your destiny.

[stevew]

Whatever.

[Schmidty]

Winning the NIT is like getting a gold medal in the special olympics.

That has never been funny and it never will be.

It's a joke, but the "punchline" is the son, daughter, grandchild, etc. of many people, including folks on FOFC. You will never know the things they go through. If you did, I'm sure you'd shut the fuck up.

Very poor form and insensitive.

[st.cronin]

How about: Winning the NIT is like winning a political argument on FOFC.

[Groundhog]

How about: Winning the NIT is like winning a political argument on FOFC.

Impossible?

[st.cronin]

Impossible?

touche

[EagleFan]

It's the NIT, who really cares.

Winning the NIT is like dating the "prettiest" fat chick in high school.

[EagleFan]

dola: Or like being the best team in Arizona Cardinals history.

[DeToxRox]

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!

You're a Michigan fan aren't you.

Get used to it, Wolverette fan. Nobody cares about that cap. It is your destiny.

Obviously a Sparty fan discussing bball and not football.

[miami_fan]

I think the comparison to the non BCS bowl games is pretty accurate. For years the NIT champion has been known as the 65th (66th?) best team in the country. No one goes into the season wanting to win the NIT. It is never going to increase in significance amongst the fans because it can't be the ultimate goal which is to win the NCAA championship. It is what it is. An opportunity for the teams involved to continue to compete, improve, and build towards the future.

[ThunderingHERD]

It's the NIT, who really cares.

Winning the NIT is like dating the "prettiest" fat chick in high school.

That has never been funny and it never will be.

It's a joke, but the "punchline" is the daughter, grandchild, girlfriend etc. of many people, including folks on FOFC. You will never know the things they go through. If you did, I'm sure you'd shut the fuck up.

Very poor form and insensitive.

[JeeberD]

I'm interested in this year's NIT...





:(

[Daimyo]

It wouldn't make a lot of sense to give them a birth in the next year's tourney because it will be a different team... you'd almost have to give them a birth into the sweet 16 but then you'd have to drop the field to 60/61 and the timing would be an issue.

[Surtt]

How about making the finals a no time limit, no substitution, fight to the death.
Now that would be exciting!!!

[st.cronin]

The losing coach of each NIT game loses a finger.

[Surtt]

The losing coach of each NIT game loses a finger.

Make it really painful:
Loosing coach looses his shoe contract.

[st.cronin]

Make it really painful:
Loosing coach looses his shoe contract.

How are they supposed to feed their families????

[Easy Mac]

Adapt the storyline of Snakes on a plane (http://imdb.com/title/tt0417148/) to basketball.

[sterlingice]

How about we get rid of the stupid play-in game, shrink the NIT field to 16, and let it be a "playoff" for an at-large tourney bid or even do something like keep it 32, play 3 games, and take the 4 teams who are left.

SI

[stevew]

How about we get rid of the stupid play-in game, shrink the NIT field to 16, and let it be a "playoff" for an at-large tourney bid or even do something like keep it 32, play 3 games, and take the 4 teams who are left.

SI

That wouldn't be an awful idea.

[Logan]

That wouldn't be an awful idea.

My proposal (and to be honest, I might've heard this from somewhere else a couple years ago, but can't remember):

Take one line of the bracket where we usually see the last at-large teams get in (10-11). Take the last 4 in, and the last 4 out, and make them play each other for the right to play the 6 or 7 seed. Eliminate the current play-in game. Those teams won the right to play a real NCAA tourney game (quick tangent: I think Monmouth has a shot against Villanova).

A common theme we hear from the mid-majors who don't get in is that they can't get a power conference team to schedule them. By doing this, the committee says, "Here you go...we scheduled them for you. Now put up or shut up." The same applies for the power conference teams who get skipped over for the mid-majors. "You think these teams aren't on your level? Go out and prove it."

Two issues:

1. You would be penalizing the higher seed by not letting them focus on just one team to scout for two days.

2. Makes picking the bracket more difficult, but I'm fine with that.

[EagleFan]

How about we get rid of the stupid play-in game, shrink the NIT field to 16, and let it be a "playoff" for an at-large tourney bid or even do something like keep it 32, play 3 games, and take the 4 teams who are left.

SI

Because there are already enough teams involved in the tournament. The NIT teams didn't earn a birth in the real thing so let's just accept it and move on.

The NIT is just another way to make money for the schools that couldn't cut it during the season/conference tournament. Let them have their cute little tournament and the rest of the world can concentrate on the real thing that starts in a little over 12 hours.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Not to mention the NCAA would have nothing to do with the NIT. Its a competitor. The last thing the NCAA wants is to improve the interest in the NIT. That's why the NCAA tournament came into being. Used to be the NIT was the big year end tournament. The NCAA said enough of that and set up their own tournament. The rest is history.

[Logan]

Not to mention the NCAA would have nothing to do with the NIT. Its a competitor. The last thing the NCAA wants is to improve the interest in the NIT. That's why the NCAA tournament came into being. Used to be the NIT was the big year end tournament. The NCAA said enough of that and set up their own tournament. The rest is history.

The NCAA now owns and runs the NIT. It was under a different selection process this year.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Clearly, basketball knowledge is not my forte. I missed the last couple of years I guess. Is UCLA still on their record string of national championships?

[wade moore]

Anyone watching the final four games on ESPN2? ODU (GO CAA!) and Michigan are putting on a good show right now.

As an interesting aside, not that it's likely, but the CAA has the chance to become I think the first conference to win the NIT and the NCAA in the same year.

[miami_fan]

Anyone watching the final four games on ESPN2? ODU (GO CAA!) and Michigan are putting on a good show right now.

As an interesting aside, not that it's likely, but the CAA has the chance to become I think the first conference to win the NIT and the NCAA in the same year.

Absolutely!

[wade moore]

Ugh... the Monarchs just can't compete with 3 of their top 6 players out or totally hampered by injuries...

[QuikSand]

As an interesting aside, not that it's likely, but the CAA has the chance to become I think the first conference to win the NIT and the NCAA in the same year.

That doesn't sound like it could possibly be a first.

I believe, if you look back, you'll even find the same team winning both in the same year.

[Easy Mac]

That doesn't sound like it could possibly be a first.

I believe, if you look back, you'll even find the same team winning both in the same year.

From the SGS blog from a few days ago (by me)

"The SEC also has the chance to sweep the NCAA and NIT’s, with South Carolina in the NIT Final Four. So not only does South Carolina have the chance to be the first team to repeat in the NIT’s since St. John’s in 1943-44, since the Big East in 2003… ok, not as wow-ish, but still."

[wade moore]

I stand corrected then...

First mid-major? ;)...

Either way, it's irrelevant because ODU is playing way below their standard.

[bosshogg23]

I watched a bit of the game, Michigan really dominated the last 10 minutes or so.

Nice that Michigan can put together a solid game AFTER the Big Ten season, Big Ten tourney and their secondary tournament games. About 5 games too late.

[Easy Mac]

No one goes into the season wanting to win the NIT.

I don't know about that. I heard today that Dave Odom (coach of South Carolina) is 19-3 in the NIT. He's gone on record as saying he changes his coaching style (and the teams style) during the post season. Last year: Won NIT. Previous: Lost 1st round NCAA. Previous: Lost NIT championships. This year: In NIT semis.

[Blade6119]

Maybe hold the NITs before the NCAAs and grant the winner a spot in a play-in game at a 16 seed...and since they didnt make the field of 65 at large, no one can complain they would be too tough a team for a 1 seed to have to play. Not next year, but right after they win the NIT...ya, they might wear down, but nobody expects them to win the NCAA anyways

[stevew]

Maybe hold the NITs before the NCAAs and grant the winner a spot in a play-in game at a 16 seed...and since they didnt make the field of 65 at large, no one can complain they would be too tough a team for a 1 seed to have to play. Not next year, but right after they win the NIT...ya, they might wear down, but nobody expects them to win the NCAA anyways


They'd have to play in for about a 11-12 seed. The bottom tier seeds are usually tied up in those low tier conferences that only get one bid.

[Blade6119]

They'd have to play in for about a 11-12 seed. The bottom tier seeds are usually tied up in those low tier conferences that only get one bid.
Fair enough, and have them go up against another at-large or just take away one at-large bid and give it to the NIT winner...but is the idea a good one?

[larrymcg421]

NIT Champion gets to bribe one (extra) recuit next season.

[Logan]

Fair enough, and have them go up against another at-large or just take away one at-large bid and give it to the NIT winner...but is the idea a good one?

Please see post #28 of this thread.

[sterlingice]

NIT Champion gets to bribe one (extra) recuit next season.

So, for example, Conference USA gets a 2nd bribe while the SEC gets a 5th?

SI