Northern Iowa and Drake have begun play, and NIT fans around the world are tuning in (just kidding, most of us don’t have ESPN+, but we’re keeping tabs on the score) for another big day of hoops.
Before we get to the games, here are a few resources:
Alright. The docket:
Lock ‘em up (potentially)
Northern Iowa vs. Drake (1:00 PM Eastern, yes, it already started)
Hampton @ Radford (8:00 PM Eastern)
Belmont vs. Eastern Kentucky (8:00 PM Eastern)
It’s not clear whether UNI will end up in the NIT if they lose today, but it’s a possibility, and even if they didn’t, it’d really jumble up the cut lines (#BidThiefSeason). Given that they’re losing nine to four as I type this (and 38 to 22 as my editor edits this!), we might be in for an exciting afternoon.
Whether the afternoon gets exciting or not, the pressure’s on in the Big South and OVC semifinals. Radford and Belmont are significant favorites, but Hampton and EKU each played much better in conference play than they did during the non-conference season (actually, this might only be true of EKU, but Hampton has that reputation among those who pay attention to Hampton). Will they be accomplices tonight? To the crime of making NIT dreams come true?
MACtion
Buffalo @ Bowling Green (6:00 PM Eastern)
Kent State @ Akron (6:30 PM Eastern)
The Akron/Bowling Green saga achieves its thrilling conclusion tonight. If Akron wins, they’re the regular season champion. If they lose, and Bowling Green wins, it’s a tie, and I think Akron’s loss to Buffalo, compared to BGSU’s lack of a loss to Buffalo, will make your Bowling Green Falcons the team to beat (in the sense that they’re the ones who need to be defeated for the MAC to get an NIT bid—they still won’t be favored to win the MAC Tournament or anything).
MAACtion
Iona @ Saint Peter’s (7:00 PM Eastern)
Siena @ Monmouth (7:00 PM Eastern)
Go on, say it again. This time more like a goat with the nasal “a.”
If I understand the tiebreakers correctly here (and there’s a chance I do not), Siena clinches the MAAC regular season title (and potential NIT automatic bid) with a victory tonight.
Actually, I know that part for sure. Win and they’re it. It’s if they lose that tiebreakers come into play.
If Siena loses, and Saint Peter’s wins, the Saint Peter’s Peacocks should win the tiebreakers over the Siena Saints by virtue of having defeated the Monmouth Hawks (ugh, why couldn’t it have been Marist so I could’ve written Red Foxes) twice, instead of just once, as the Saints did.
High stakes in our favorite league about which to speak aloud.
Ivyction
Yale @ Dartmouth (7:00 PM Eastern)
Brown @ Harvard (7:00 PM Eastern)
Yeah, not as good of a ring to it.
I’m of the impression that Yale’s result tonight matters more for seeding than it does for actually determining the regular season champion. Unless Harvard loses to Brown. If that happens, then yeah, Yale can wrap things up with a win. But overall, probably just seeding, since Harvard’s a big favorite over the Brownies.
The real action will come tomorrow, when Harvard and Yale rematch in what’s likely to be a regular season Ivy League title game. Harvard’s NIT streak, the longest in the nation (tied with Nebraska) could be on the line. Yale’s bid for their second ever NIT appearance could be on the line. Tonight’s just an appetizer, but the main course is coming. And as you sit on all this, remember one more thing:
The Ivy League Tournament is at Harvard this year.
Implications
San Diego State vs. Boise State (9:00 PM Eastern)
It’s still hard to see an NIT path for Boise State, though it’s not impossible, and there’d be some parallels to San Diego’s bid last year (the parallel being, the committee has heard of this team and this team would have just had a nice little run in a conference tournament taking place in The West™). In other words, keep an eye on Boise State, but not as close of an eye as you will on, say, Syracuse.
The bigger thing to watch for here is how the result impacts the cut line. If San Diego State wins, the probability of a bid thief from the Mountain West could become effectively zero (though Cowboy Ken may have other plans). If they lose, it could become effectively one (again, Cowboy Ken will have something to say on the matter). So there’s that.
Trying to Climb
Georgia Tech @ Clemson (7:00 PM Eastern)
VCU @ Davidson (9:00 PM Eastern)
Neither Clemson nor VCU is in a great place, but neither is dead yet, and both could hoist themselves a bit further up the ladder with a victory tonight.
With a loss, though, each would tumble, to the point where we may never hear from them again this year. Ruthless, the NIT is.
It’s worth noting here, since I’m not sure we’ve formally noted it elsewhere, that Georgia Tech has dropped its appeal with the NCAA. In a sad reality, our dreams of another Josh Pastner NIT run are done.
Until next year, sweet prince.
Trying Not to Fall
Wake Forest @ North Carolina State (7:00 PM Eastern)
Utah State vs. Wyoming (11:30 PM Eastern)
There he is.
Cowboy Ken and the Fighting Wyomings have taken Las Vegas, and the nation, by storm this week, rattling off two straight upset victories to find themselves suddenly competing against one of the titans of this year’s NIT picture.
It’s more likely than not that Utah State can still make the NIT with a victory, provided, of course, that they lose to San Diego State or Boise State tomorrow. Still, the risk of climbing too far is probably in the back of their minds, so don’t be surprised to see some hesitation out of the Aggies.
Meanwhile, in Raleigh, Wake Forest is trying to push NC State into a date with the bubble. The Wolfpack look safe right now, but if you know anything about wolves, that’s when they’re their least safe (I would guess—I don’t personally know anything about wolves). With the NIT picture tight as ever, Kevin Keatts and the lads could use a win.
Game of the NITe
Richmond @ Duquesne (7:00 PM Eastern)
Duquesne fans have been clamoring.
Richmond fans have been sweating it out.
Both could get something they desperately need tonight.
For Duquesne, it’s all about winning. “Win, win, win.” That’s what we say to Duquesne. There could come a point when we stop saying that to Duquesne, but for the time being, it’s what we’re saying. Win, win, win. The Dukes are projecting to land something like four spots off the bubble, meaning they’re right in the thick of NIT dreamin’. A major opportunity for Pittsburgh’s finest.
Down in Richmond, though, winning is not the answer. It might be in a few days, but not tonight. Not when the Spiders are at risk of landing on the wrong side of the cut line and having to spend their St. Patrick’s Day in Dayton rather than hosting a first-round NIT game. Tonight, a loss would be advisable. But you never know with Spiders.
