Tag: National Invitation Tournament

MBB Recap: Ducks fall to Badgers in NIT quarterfinals, 61-58

The Ducks shot 33% from the FT line and lost by 3 to the Wisconsin Badgers, ending their season short of the NIT semifinals, 61-58.

The season had to end at some point. Unfortunately for the Oregon Ducks, it ended in a fashion where it feels like they left a lot on the table.

The Wisconsin Badgers came into Matthew Knight Arena and found a way to hold on and beat the Ducks, advancing to the semifinal round of the National Invitation Tournament, where they will play North Texas in Las Vegas.

It was a game that was back and forth from start to finish, and one where Oregon was unable to overcome some poor free-throw shooting in the end.

The Ducks shot just 4-for-12 from the charity stripe, and got out-rebounded 44-35.

Oregon’s season is now over, and we will look toward the offseason and try to parse out what this team will look like next year.

Before we do all of that, here’s a closer look at how things went down on Tuesday.

Game Preview: Size could be issue for Ducks in NIT quarterfinal vs. Wisconsin

The Ducks could have their hands full with Wisconsin on Tuesday night. N’Faly Dante’s status will be a major factor.

The Oregon Ducks have managed to make their way through the first two rounds of the National Invitation Tournament without the services of their big-man N’Faly Dante, the team’s leading scorer, leading rebounder, and leading shot-blocker.

Going into the quarterfinals against the Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday night, his potential absence might have a bigger impact, though. The Badgers are big, and led by their best player Steve Crowl, a 7-foot big-man who has the ability to dominate inside.

Of course, it has not yet been officially determined whether or not Dante will miss this game or not. While he was sidelines vs. UC Irvine and UCF, head coach Dana Altman didn’t officially shut the door on him being ready to play vs. Wisconsin. There’s also the possibility that guard Jermaine Couisnard returns as well.

“I was hoping maybe Wednesday, give them another day.” Altman said on Sunday after the win over UCF. “If they can play, they will. If they can’t, they can’t.”

We will be watching as Oregon comes out to warm up before the game whether or not Dante or Couisnard will be suited up, but regardless, the Ducks are going to have their hands full. Here are a few things that you need to know about Wisconsin.

Oregon Ducks close to matching best NIT run in school history

The Ducks are a win away from matching the school record for their deepest NIT run ever.

Nobody is going to sit down and try to convince you that making a run in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is comparable to making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. I’m not here to try and argue that the Oregon Ducks winning a couple of games without their three best players in the NIT over the past week conjures up memories of the 2017 Ducks that went to the Final Four and were arguably a rebound against North Carolina away from playing for a national championship game.

Nobody is going to say that NIT success rivals the excitement and thrill of March Madness.

That doesn’t mean that succeeding in the NIT means nothing, though.

What the Ducks have done over the past week — as I mentioned, without Will Richardson, N’Faly Dante, and Jermaine Couisnard — has been incredibly impressive. They blew out UC Irvine in the first round and made light work of UCF on Sunday night at Matthew Knight Arena. Now they will turn around and host the Wisconsin Badgers in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night, with a win sending them to the semifinals in Las Vegas.

If the Ducks can find a way to notch one more victory and get into the final four down in Las Vegas, it will be quite the feat considering the players that they have in sweats on the sidelines. However, how will that potential result compare to some of the best NIT runs that the Ducks have made over the years? That’s a question that I wanted an answer to.

Looking back through the history books, Oregon has made 12 trips to the NIT before this season. Here’s how those past appearances ended up.

Badgers set for NIT starting Tuesday

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team went 17-14 this season, falling just short of making the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll play in the NIT.

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team went 17-14 this season, falling just short of making the NCAA Tournament following the Round 1 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

As a result, the Badgers were faced with a decision, play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) or hit the reset button and focus on next season, they chose the first option.

Wisconsin has been selected as a two-seed in their region and they will take on Bradley (25-9) in the first round of the tournament Tuesday at 8:30 PM in Madison.

The Kohl Center will be the host of at least two games if the Badgers are able to pull off the victory over Bradley, with three-seed Liberty taking on Villanova on Tuesday night as well. The winner of that game will face Wisconsin/Bradley in the second round.

Although it’s not perfect, Wisconsin will have a chance to bring home a championship this season, just not the one that the team wanted to compete for when they were gearing up for the year.

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Georgia men’s basketball announces new season attendance record

For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s men’s basketball has surpassed Stegeman Coliseum’s annual attendance record.

For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s men’s basketball has surpassed Stegeman Coliseum’s annual attendance record.

Attendance spiked following Tom Crean’s 2018 appointment as the Bulldogs’ head coach. When Crean managed to secure the commitment of 2019’s top high school prospect Anthony Edwards, excitement built further for Georgia basketball fans.

So, an average season with an above-average NBA prospect ended on a sour note against rival Florida. Georgia fans have every right to feel dejected.

Win or lose, however, Georgia faithful kept buying tickets to hoot and holler for the Dawgs. The Steg was packed and, oh my, was it loud.

A sure sign of an impassioned fanbase, the majority of the home crowd stayed until each game’s final whistle all year.

Mind you, that’s not just because of the fans’ recognition of the inevitably horrific post-game traffic splitting from Carlton Street toward either Lumpkin Street or East Campus Road.

The 2019-2020 Bulldogs’ hopes aren’t dead. There’s still an entire conference tourney left to be played.

Crean’s squad, which entered the campaign with high hopes, needs to win next week’s SEC Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Unless conference tournament results prove otherwise, the Dawgs are considered a bubble team for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

In that case, a conference quarterfinal or semifinal would ostensibly improve Crean and company’s chances, but after such an up-and-down season, nothing can be guaranteed (always the case in the sports) or even predicted (always the case in Georgia sports).

Should the Bulldogs receive an NIT invite, they have the opportunity of hosting another game in Athens, potentially adding to the season’s attendance record.

Opinion: No, Georgia basketball did not waste its only season with Anthony Edwards

After Anthony Edwards committed to UGA in February of 2019, many Georgia fans quickly deemed him the Dawgs’ deliverer from mediocrity.

Anthony Edwards arrived in Athens, Georgia to much fanfare.

Depending on which recruiting service you asked, Edwards was either the first- or second-ranked high school basketball prospect of the 2019 recruiting cycle.

After the senior out of Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep announced his commitment to Tom Crean’s Bulldogs in February of 2019, many Georgia fans quickly deemed him the Dawgs’ deliverer from mediocrity.

Reminder: this was over three months before Edwards had even graduated high school and over eight months before he would play in his first collegiate competition.

What is almost certainly the Dawgs’ only regular season featuring Anthony Edwards ends with an even 15-15 record. Unless the 2020 Bulldogs can replicate the results of 2008’s unlikely winners in next week’s SEC tournament, Georgia may not qualify for any further postseason play.

Crean’s squad, which entered the campaign with high hopes, needs to win the conference tourney to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Unless tournament results prove otherwise, the Dawgs are considered a bubble team for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

A quarterfinal or semifinal appearance in the conference tourney would likely earn them a spot, anything less would likely leave them out. But Georgia basketball fans probably don’t want to think of any more what-ifs.

Though plagued with blown leads and those pesky what-ifs, the Bulldogs’ 2019-2020 campaign was highlighted by several miraculous finishes, wins over Georgia Tech and Auburn, and a slew of NBA-worthy clips from Edwards.

All of that sounds bad. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not great. But here’s the thing: Edwards is still projected as the top NBA draft pick by more than one draft analyst.

This isn’t a moral victory thing. Anyone who watched Georgia’s men’s basketball team all season saw the team fold and surrender late leads on multiple occasions.

To me, a recovering pessimist constantly checking my peripheral vision for any sort of bright side, such results don’t blind me from what I’ve learned to see truth of the matter:

If a star player like Anthony Edwards can come into Georgia’s historically average basketball program and maintain his projected draft position while packing Stegeman Coliseum to the brim, it shows young local talent that they can do the same and receive that fanfare and adoration similar to Edwards’.

That is, before they go get a fat paycheck in the NBA.

Though not assuredly, this could prove vital for a program currently struggling to tread water alongside a strong and balanced Southeastern Conference no longer run just by traditionally powerful Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee (each of which can usually predict its two annual division games against Georgia as wins).

The Atlanta area is one of the highest-concentrated NBA breeding grounds in the United States. Georgia often lands local four-star recruits but very seldom secures commitments from upper echelon five-stars. The last was current Los Angeles Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in 2011.

Examples: 2018’s Ashton Hagans and E.J. Montgomery enrolled at Kentucky. Wendell Carter enrolled at Duke in 2017. Kobi Simmons enrolled at Arizona in 2016.

So, yeah, in the short term, this isn’t ideal. Especially knowing that .500 winning percentage could’ve been a .533 or a possibly a .567, or heck, maybe even .600!

But since I’m speaking in hypotheticals, Georgia could very well have lost some of their eventual dramatic victories, namely against SMU, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas.

Given what Edwards’ success could mean for the future of Georgia men’s basketball recruiting in the future, I choose to see this year’s 15-15 record as a glass half full.

Even in the short term, the Bulldogs’ hopes aren’t dead. There’s still an entire conference tournament to be played.