What does winning the NIT prove?

[frostno98]

Wichita State was a great example of a very good Mid-Major being left out of the NCAA tourney. Too bad they lost to an opportunistic Indiana State team in the conference tourney, despite being the most consistent and dominant team in the Missouri valley during the regular season. They easily had VCU's potential to make noise.

[thfootball]

Mean you can get a trophy still, and get more experience for newer players., and you play what you enjoy for a few more weeks.

Look what happened to VCU last year, they won the CIT tournament I believe, and it's carrying over to the March Madness this year.

[CTOWNsCAPPIN]

I do believe it helps with recruiting and yes Wich St had plenty of potential to make noise in the Big Dance!

[floridagolfer]

If you win the NIT, you can claim you're the 69th-best team in the country only if you believe the teams in the NCAA Tournament are 1-68. And that's not ever going to be the case. In reality, the NIT winner probably is between 55 and 65. But more to the point, it gives coaches the chance to get something nice for the résumé and there's no harm in a few games that generally are meaningless.

[stevenash]

Mean you can get a trophy still, and get more experience for newer players., and you play what you enjoy for a few more weeks.

... In MSG where you get the chance to play in front of two sell out crowds in the Garden which is good for exposure, all expenses trip paid to NYC, and when it's all said and done can get drunk.

[Doc JS]

Well...the winner is a LOT better than the 69th best team because of all of the AQ's that go to schools from the MEAC and other conferences that don't have a prayer of winning a touurney game.
I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think Alabama beat Kentucky this season. And Colorado beat K State, an NCAA tourney team, 3 times this season.

Doc

[stevenash]

The kids that played last night in the Garden looked totally into it.
They know.

[stogies]

anyone who thinks the nit is just crap teams don't know what they're talking about. just don't watch it or worry about it if you think its crap.

[StraitShooter]

Are you guys serious? I'm guessing a lot of people here has never played in collegiate sports??
Sports are a drug so to speak. You fall in love with the competition!! Trust me, you never wanted that time to come. When the season is over it sucks, trust me.

I agree..NIT teams could beat tourney teams any day of the week ..Its all about fun , and competition for players and money and exposure for school , fool

[adlai]

NIT has a lot of tradition, its not too bad of a tournament.

exactly... it's the oldest tournament in college basketball.

[GoCougs!]

It's a big deal for the kids who make it all the way to NY.......well, maybe not for the Wazzu players.....they looked stoned all game long. Considering how many of them got busted this year with weed, they probably were high.

[katstale]

Some teams should stay home and do. For others, its a great chance to practice and play and prepare for next season. If you have a team with bunch of seniors who laid down during season. Spare your fans and stay home.

[BIGDAY]

THIS! Was just about to post the same exact thing. 90% of SBR has never even touched a piece of athletic equipment in there lives. They have no idea the desire of an athlete(especially high level athletes) of just going out and competing. I played high school baseball and football and been playing both sports in organized leagues since I can remember. Things like long practices, wind sprints, two-a-days(hell week) sucked balls, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Just going out there and competing with your brothers was some of the best times of my life. There is nothing like going out in a game situation and just competing. I wish I was good enough to play college ball because it saddens me that I'll never make that walk to the mound in a competitive game ever again. Just think about some of the seniors that are playing in these minor tournament. These guys will be playing there last couple of games as college athletes and they will be playing as hard as they would if they were playing in the Final Four tourney.

I'm glad a few of you guys back me up here. Because trust me, even if your team down right sucks, you still want more. I wrestled, it would drive me nuts, I wanted my next match to be an hour after my last match. It didn't matter if it was against a 3 time all-american or a scrub, you wanted the action, you wanted the sport. It sucked waiting a week or so until our next competition, let alone next season, or worse, your last season.
Cheers.

[JW Cash]

Winning the NIT just proves you are a second rate basketball team,...not worthy of being
in the same class of VCU

[Louisvillekid1]

self achievement, building for the next season....

[Glitch]

yeah dont think its suppose to prove anything. just a consolation tourney.

plus a lotta those teams are better than all those teams that just happened to win their conferences.

[bettilimbroke999]

The NIT is SHIT!

They dont even put the FF and finals on ESPN, they put it on ESPN2, I mean c'mon nobody is watching this shit, I even put a bet on under 77 2nd half yesterday but the game was so fuckin retarded I couldnt watch it, luckily the bet won by a mile bc of the NIT playing style of hold the ball for 35 secs against the weakest defenses in the country then put up a brick

[Mr. Jones]

THIS! Was just about to post the same exact thing. 90% of SBR has never even touched a piece of athletic equipment in there lives. They have no idea the desire of an athlete(especially high level athletes) of just going out and competing. I played high school baseball and football and been playing both sports in organized leagues since I can remember. Things like long practices, wind sprints, two-a-days(hell week) sucked balls, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Just going out there and competing with your brothers was some of the best times of my life. There is nothing like going out in a game situation and just competing. I wish I was good enough to play college ball because it saddens me that I'll never make that walk to the mound in a competitive game ever again. Just think about some of the seniors that are playing in these minor tournament. These guys will be playing there last couple of games as college athletes and they will be playing as hard as they would if they were playing in the Final Four tourney.

Could not be said any better. I especially agree with the 90% of posters here never having played any kind of sport. Long ago, I played for an minor league ballclub in low A ball that managed to carve out roughly a .333 win percentage for the year. Our last game of the season was on the road against the league leaders. We beat them by 4 runs and partied, both in the clubhouse and on the bus, like there was no tomorrow. For many of the guys on that club there was no tomorrow.

That is the answer to this stupid question.

[jackmyhoggoff]

You are the 69th best team in the country?

Why do teams like Colorado and Alabama even play in this thing, its like highlighting the fact that their season was complete crap and they arent even able to compete with the top 68 teams in the country

I can understand teams like Wichita State etc bc for them being 69th in the country is about as close as they'll get to the top but for top schools I mean c'mon have some respect for yourselves and turn that invitation down

If you dont qualify for the Olympics should you accept an invitation to the Special Olympics

MONEY Stupid !

[jackmyhoggoff]

Winning the NIT just proves you are a second rate basketball team,...not worthy of being
in the same class of VCU

WOW

[jjgold]

Good for school

good exposure

college makes a few bucks also

[bettilimbroke999]

Colleges sure do pimp out these "amateur" athletes alot, then when the best "amateur" athletes (which basically means you play at a pro level except the school gets all the money instead of giving you your share) get 1/10th of what theyd have got for turning pro under the table everybody goes nuts

When tickets to the NCAAF national championship are free instead of 2000 a piece I'll believe these athletes are amateurs

Pro = somebody pays to watch you play

Amateur = nobody gives a shit when you play

The whole idea of "amateur" sports shouldve died 40 years ago when they started really paying athletes well to do pretty much anything with a ball well, like run with a ball, throw a ball, catch a ball, kick a ball and anything else PG rated that you can think of to do with a ball that they can put on TV and offer as a drug to the bored masses

[thfootball]

Nice to hold a trophy (santa clara) over your head than look at a bracket showing you made the 2nd round of the ncaa tournament. congrats to S C players, jubiliation to carry with them for the rest of their lives and tell stories to others they did it. Hopefully they can carry that experience into the next season.

[scarp]

money!

[stevenash]

Yes, I'm a fan of the maac, I live in Fairfield County, Ct.
To go from Santa Clara Ca. to New Rochelle NY and win in that gym is an accomplishment.
Well done.

[stevenash]

If you dont qualify for the Olympics should you accept an invitation to the Special Olympics

This post qualifies you for the special olympics.