Cincinnati at UCF (12:00 PM EST)
The Bearcats, after wobbling last month, have regained their poise as an NIT at-large bid frontrunner. Playing too well would be detrimental to their cause, but a victory here’s a good idea.
Tulane at Temple (12:00 PM EST)
Temple can’t look vulnerable if they want to get back in the heart of the race sooner rather than later.
SMU at East Carolina (12:00 PM EST)
SMU could use a statement performance, and while beating ECU won’t provide that, beating them by 30 would help.
Georgetown at Villanova (12:00 PM EST)
Georgetown should not win this one. Don’t risk it. The temptation is high, but take the day off and hold position, Hoyas.
DePaul at St. John’s (12:00 PM EST)
While most NIT hopefuls don’t want to win on the road, DePaul could probably stand to get this one. They haven’t built a solid-enough NIT case to take every road trip off.
Rutgers at Illinois (12:00 PM EST)
What a big matchup. Neither team can afford to keep winning like they’ve been winning. Let’s see who, if anyone, successfully hits the reset button.
Ohio State at Indiana (12:00 PM EST)
Indiana is right there, very close to NIT-land. They’d do themselves no favors with the home upset, no matter where the narrative stands on the Buckeyes.
Georgia at Auburn (12:00 PM EST)
Georgia’s not there yet, but keeping this one close might push them into the mix.
Alabama at Kentucky (12:00 PM EST)
Alabama could shoot themselves in the foot today with a victory. Hold steady, Tide.
Vermont at UMBC (1:00 PM EST)
Paradoxically, this game is most impactful on neither of these team’s NIT chances, but instead those of their neighbor on Long Island. Vermont opened America East play by losing to Stony Brook at home. They’re in all likelihood better than the Seawolves, which means if Stony Brook grabs the regular season title, Stony Brook will be an NIT hopeful, relying on a potential loss to Vermont in the conference tournament to seal the deal. Vermont should take care of business today, but if they don’t, the landscape shifts dramatically as Stony Brook opens up a moderate lead to start the conference season.
Rhode Island at VCU (2:00 PM EST)
VCU’s hung just above the NIT picture for most of the year. Losing at home to a team just trying to climb into relevance would make a statement while boosting their conference’s overall rep. Clear move, but we’ll see if they make it.
Louisville at Notre Dame (2:00 PM EST)
Notre Dame’s recovered well from that Boston College loss, planting themselves firmly back in the midst of NIT-land. Probably best to not rock the boat today.
NC State at Virginia Tech (2:00 PM EST)
It’s easy to underestimate how damaging a road victory would be for the Wolfpack’s NIT hopes. By a similar token, though, Virginia Tech should not be blowing anybody out. Will be interesting to see how that goes in Blacksburg.
Oklahoma State at TCU (2:00 PM EST)
Similar story here to the NCSU/VT game. Oklahoma State could fuel the doubters with a road triumph. Best to prove they’re an NIT team by losing. For TCU, important to not look *too* good.
Campbell at Radford (2:00 PM EST)
Some are saying Radford needs to take their foot off the gas.
They’re wrong.
Just win, Radford. Grab position for the regular season title. You can figure out the rest later.
College of Charleston at William & Mary (2:00 PM EST)
The last two conference unbeatens in the CAA. Northeastern and Hofstra still lurk, but these two are the big ones in that league for now.
Louisiana-Monroe at Georgia State (2:00 PM EST)
After some early-season stirring, Georgia State’s back in a good place in the Sun Belt. Will they keep it that way?
Central Michigan at Kent State (3:30 PM EST)
Can Kent State keep pace with Akron in the march for the MAC regular season crown? The people are asking.
Duquesne at George Washington (4:00 PM EST)
Duquesne established themselves as an NIT contender early in the season, remaining undefeated late into their impotent non-conference schedule. They’ve done a good job in conference play of taking care of business against inferior opposition, but that’s a job that isn’t finished ‘til it’s finished.
Syracuse at Virginia (4:00 PM EST)
Nothing to see here.
Unless there is (note to editor: Can we put emojis in posts? If so, *eyeball emoji*).
Norfolk State at Howard (4:00 PM EST)
Norfolk State’s seizure of being the MEAC’s best NIT bet is a relatively recent development. Howard isn’t much, but they’re still a significant road test for last year’s Cinderella.
Northern Iowa at Missouri State (4:00 PM EST)
UNI’s the Missouri Valley favorite for now, but in a race this tight, that can change in a heartbeat. High stakes in Springfield.
Colgate at Navy (4:00 PM EST)
Will Colgate do the expected in Annapolis? Or will their odds…sink?
Clemson at UNC (4:30 PM EST)
Isn’t there some streak of Clemson never winning in Chapel Hill? Whether I made that up or not, UNC better hope like hell it’s at least true for today.
Nebraska-Omaha at South Dakota (4:30 PM EST)
UNO’s a sleeper in the Summit League entering the day. A loss would, at least temporarily, put them to bed.
Saint Louis at Richmond (6:00 PM EST)
Some thought the Billikens had a good shot at the NIT back when the season started. Instead, it’s Richmond trying to hold onto their recent gains in our model’s NIT Bracketology.
Washington State at Stanford (6:00 PM EST)
Stanford’s in a good spot, but they can’t afford to slip up. Pressure’s on in Palo Alto.
St. Francis (NY) at St. Francis (PA) (7:00 PM EST)
The Francis on Francis games are always fun to notice on the schedule, but this one’s especially consequential as the Pennsylvanian Franciscans try to quell Robert Morris’s charge in the NEC.
UNC-Greensboro at Furman (7:00 PM EST)
There’s always action in the SoCon these days, and tonight’s no different, with UNCG trying to knock Furman down a notch.
South Dakota State at Purdue-Fort Wayne (7:00 PM EST)
Don’t count out the Jacks yet. A return to the NIT isn’t impossible. They’ve got work to do, but keep an eye on ‘em.
Oklahoma at Iowa State (8:00 PM EST)
The wheels are falling off for Iowa State. Oklahoma didn’t need that win at Texas Wednesday night. It’s an opportunity for symbiosis in Ames.
Kansas State at Texas (8:00 PM EST)
It’s a little early for must-win games, but each team could sure stand to win this one.
Nevada at Utah State (8:00 PM EST)
Can this game be a firewall for the Aggies? Or will Utah State keep falling?
Washington at Cal (8:00 PM EST)
We’re looking for consistency from the Huskies. Or at least doing what NIT teams should do. In this case, that means narrowly avoiding disaster in Berkeley.
Mississippi State at LSU (8:00 PM EST)
In tonight’s instance, less cowbell’s a good idea on the road. Don’t get too excited and hurt your NIT chances, Bulldogs.
Murray State at Tennessee Tech (8:30 PM EST)
Now three games into Ohio Valley play, a Murray State regular season title is looking possible. They aren’t the OVC favorite by any stretch, but we’ll still watch tonight’s result to see if they look the part.
Florida at Missouri (8:30 PM EST)
Mizzou’s in a fine spot, making it wholly unnecessary (and, yes, counterproductive) to win tonight.
Prairie View A&M at Texas Southern (8:30 PM EST)
Big night in the SWAC. Prairie View tries to establish dominance. Texas Southern tries to flip the script.
Louisiana Tech at UTEP (9:00 PM EST)
Louisiana Tech’s NIT hopes looked hot. They were even thinking about a home game. Then, they got stomped by UTSA. With just one day off, there are legitimate questions about how they’ll bounce back tonight.
Hawaii at UC-Irvine (10:00 PM EST)
A nice chance for the Anteaters to make a statement regarding Big West favoritehood.
USC at UCLA (10:00 PM EST)
As much as I wish they were out of the picture (NIT fans don’t forget, Andy Enfield), USC is hanging around, and could creep a little closer with a convincing performance today.
Arizona State at Oregon (10:30 PM EST)
Most of the time, beating a highly-ranked foe on their court is a bad idea if a team wants to make the NIT. In Arizona State’s case, though, it might help matters.
Another Big NIT Saturday
