Tag: NIT

2022 Men’s NIT: BYU, Dayton and the best bets ahead of Thursday’s slate

Looking at the best bets ahead of Thursday’s NIT games.

It’s March, and that means it’s time for all the madness. Most of the focus is shifted towards the NCAA Tournament, which is totally understandable. But the excitement and craziness of college basketball’s postseason don’t stop there. There are a variety of end-of-season tournaments, such as the NIT, which takes some of the NCAA Tourney’s biggest snubs, some of the nation’s household names and a few prestigious teams to create a 32-team bracket.

With the first day of NIT games now in the books, we take a look at Thursday’s seven-game slate and figure out which games to empty your wallets on.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook

Florida vs. Iona: Stream, radio, broadcast info for NIT first round

Here’s how to follow tonight’s NIT action.

Florida plays Iona on Wednesday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Gator Nation is certainly disappointed with the outcome of the 2021-22 campaign, with their beloved basketball team earning a consolation bid to the National Invitation Tournament this March for the first time since 2016. Not to mention, Florida is now without a head coach after Mike White bolted for the Georgia Bulldogs opening, leaving associate head coach Al Pinkins in charge for the interim.

Opposite of the Orange and Blue stands the Iona Gaels led by Rick Pitino, who was a mentor for legendary Gators coach Billy Donovan. Billy D was starting point guard for Pitino’s Providence squad that landed in the Final Four back in 1987 and has praised his sensei as the “greatest player development coach in the world.”

PREVIEW: Florida basketball takes on Iona in first round of NIT

Florida basketball takes on Iona in first round of NIT

Mike White may have left already, but there’s at least one basketball game left for Florida to play on the schedule. The Gators take on Iona Wednesday in the first round of the NIT.

Florida men’s basketball finished the season 19-13 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Fortunately, there’s the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the Gators to compete in.

Rick Pitino’s Iona (25-7) is the first opponent on the bracket for Florida, but the team will be without Mike White at the helm for the first time in seven seasons. White left the program on Sunday for the head coaching job at Georgia, leaving associate head coach Al Pinkins to serve as interim head coach for the program as Scott Stricklin looks for a replacement.

Iona’s overall record may be better than Florida’s, but many of the Gaels’ wins came against Quadrant 3 and 4 opponents. That said, they did manage to upset Alabama in November when the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 10 in the country.

The Gators admit that they aren’t in the tournament they’d like to be in, but there’s nothing to do about it other than play. With many seniors set to move on from the program after this season, the NIT is their last chance to show their stuff in an actual game.

Colin Castleton will be tasked with shutting down the Gaels’ second-leading scorer, Nelly Junior Joseph. The sophomore forward’s double-double was key in Iona’s victory over Alabama, so that may be the matchup to watch in this one.

Tip-off is at 9 p.m. EDT at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

Projected Starting Lineups:

FLORIDA

Player Pos H/W Class
Anthony Duruji F 6-7 / 209 Senior
Colin Castleton F 6-11 / 240 Senior
Tyree Appleby G 6-1 / 163 Senior
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. G 6-5 / 205 Graduate
Myreon Jones G 6-3 / 175 Senior

IONA

Player Pos H/W Class
Nelly Junior Joseph F 6-9 / 240 Sophomore
Dylan van Eyck F 6-8 / 220 Graduate
Berrick JeanLouis G 6-4 / 200 Senior
Elijah Joiner G 6-3 / 205 Graduate
Tyson Jolly G 6-4 / 205 Graduate

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How it happened: Ducks’ big second half allows them to advance in the NIT

Oregon advances to the second round of the NIT with an 83-72 win over Utah State.

Oregon liked playing the Aggies so much it’s going to try it again.

The Ducks went on the road and defeated Utah State 83-72 and will travel to another team called the Aggies, Texas A&M, for the second round of the NIT. Oregon’s victory was Dana Altman’s 300th win as the Duck head coach and it also marked his 12th consecutive 20-win season in Eugene.

Utah State was up 37-33 at the halftime break, but it was a completely different story in the second half as the Ducks used their superior athletic ability on the Aggies. Oregon continually went to the basket, more specifically, Jacob Young, and the Ducks dominated the Mountain West squad.

Young scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and De’Vion Harmon kept the Ducks in the game with his 16 first half points.

Richardson and Dante to miss NIT first round at Utah State

Oregon will be missing both Will Richardson and N’Faly Dante tonight for the first round of the NIT at Utah State.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team will be without two huge pieces of the puzzle tonight in the first round NIT matchup against Utah State.

Both point guard Will Richardson and center N’Faly Dante will not be available due to non-COVID-related illnesses. Whether they have the same ailment or different issues was not conveyed to the media.

No matter what the illnesses are, this is a big blow for the Ducks. Oregon found out the hard way what it’s like without their starting point guard with losses to Washington State in the season finale and to Colorado in the conference quarterfinals.

But now the Ducks will be without Dante’s eight points and six rebounds per game. His presence and shot-blocking ability in the middle are key to the Ducks’ defense. Seven-footers Franck Kepnang and Nate Bittle will have to make those minutes up in Dante’s absence.

Richardson and Dante’s availability going forward should Oregon advance is not known. The Ducks and Aggies are scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. on ESPN tonight.

How social media reacted to Oklahoma’s lack of an NCAA tournament invite

Oklahoma missed out on an NCAA Tournament invite and here’s how social media reacted.

After a strong finish to the regular season and a win over No. 3 Baylor in the Big 12 tournament, the Oklahoma Sooners looked well-positioned to make the NCAA tournament. Their one-point loss to Texas Tech clouded the discussion and Oklahoma was left out of “The Big Dance.”

Their record certainly didn’t help matters, especially on the road where they were 3-8, but in the mighty Big 12, any team can win any given night. And that ultimately hurt the Sooners chances.

The depth and difficult schedule kept Oklahoma from padding their record and now they’ll head to the NIT to continue their 2021-2022 season.

Though the record might not look great, the advanced analytics liked the Sooners more than some of the teams that made it to March madness. Disappointed that the selection committee didn’t follow the analytics community, Oklahoma fans went to social media to express their frustrations.

Here are some of the best.

Florida basketball receives NIT bid, faces Iona in first round

Gators are heading to the NIT to face Iona in the first round.

The Gator Nation had come to grips with Florida basketball’s inevitable exclusion from this year’s NCAA Tournament after an up-and-down season plagued by injuries and inconsistency. After the 68-team field was announced on Sunday, the Orange and Blue was given a spot in the National Invitation Tournament as a No. 3 seed, pitted up against Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels in the first round of the Top Left Bracket.

The invitation comes after a wild day that saw head coach Mike White leave Gainesville to take the top position of the Georgia Bulldogs‘ program. In his absence, associate head coach Al Pinkins will assume the head coaching duties on an interim basis until the Gators’ final tournament game.

Florida has an all-time record of 13-12 in NIT play over ten appearances dating back to 1969, an era when the tournament held the prestige that the NCAA’s Big Dance has currently. Neal Walk‘s team failed to get past the Temple Owls in the first round that year and would not play in the tournament again until 1984.

The Gators last played in the postseason event in 2016 — Mike White’s first season — and made it to the quarter-finals where they lost to George Washington. Florida has not been bounced in the opening round since 1998 stretching over three appearances.

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Oregon Ducks slotted for matchup with Utah State in 1st round of NIT

Dana Altman and the Ducks were the last team announced in the NIT, where they will face 4-seed Utah State on Wednesday.

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Well, it’s certainly not where the Oregon Ducks foresaw themselves playing this postseason, but it will have to do.

Dana Altman and his team are headed to the National Invitational Tournament for the first time since 2018. After spending the second half of the season on the tournament bubble, the Ducks lost seven of their last 10 games and lost any chance at making it into the NCAA Tournament.

So now firmly in the NIT, Oregon — a No. 5 seed — will be set with a matchup against No. 4seeded Utah State. That round one game will come on Wednesday and be played at Utah State.

One of the biggest questions for Oregon going forward is whether or not senior point guard Will Richardson will be available for the Ducks. After falling into a massive slump at the end of the regular season, Richardson was ruled out for the final game of the year and did not play in the Pac-12 tournament for reportedly “not feeling well.” It was officially reported that Richardson was under the weather with a “non-COVID-related illness.”

Whether or not Richardson is available to play, the Ducks will be in for a tough matchup against Utah State. It will be interesting to see what type of fire they play with, as it is sometimes common for a team who had such high aspirations for March Madness to be relegated to the NIT and put up a dud.

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Penn State Nittany Lions Men’s Basketball NIT History

You cannot spell “Nittany” without “N-I-T.” Penn State may not have NCAA Tournament history on their side, but they do have a pair of NIT titles to be proud of.

Penn State may not have a great amount of success when it comes to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, but that doesn’t mean Penn State is without some fun moments in basketball’s postseason. Penn State has made 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) since 1966. The majority of those NIT appearances have come in Penn State’s Big Ten era of college basketball.

Here is a look at Penn State’s history in the NIT, including a pair of NIT championships.

2021 Big Ten-ACC Challenge matchups released

See who’s playing who in this year’s edition of the exciting event.

One of the biggest events of the college basketball season, at least in certain parts of the country, is the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. This is when teams from two of the nation’s power conferences get together to see which of the conferences is better. Historically, the ACC has the upper hand with a 12-7-3 advantage in the series and a 138-113 record. The Big Ten won’t be able to catch up in either category this year’s event, but maybe it can make up some ground with these matchups: