Gonzaga vs. San Francisco is not the Game of the NITe. Not mathematically speaking, anyway. But hey. I dare to dream. Do you?
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Game Leverage |
| Troy | Arkansas State | 0.48 |
| San Francisco | Gonzaga | 0.34 |
| College of Charleston | UNC Wilmington | 0.01 |
Game of the NITe
- Arkansas State vs. Troy (7:00 PM EDT, ESPN2)
| Team | NIT % w Win | NIT % w Loss |
| Arkansas State | 0% | 45% |
| Troy | 0% | 3% |
It’s the Sun Belt Championship, and that means one of these teams is going to the NCAA T*urnament. Poor fellas. The loser’s got an NIT chance, but it isn’t necessarily a good one. Need to try to lose by exactly one, then pray for help. Hope you brought your praying shoes. And your “lose by exactly one” shoes!
Recommended pairing: Mac and cheese. That plays no matter where you are in the Sun Belt. Even if you use the definition of Sun Belt that involves New Mexico. Just add green chiles. It really speaks to mac and cheese’s greatness that so many parts of these United States have made the dish their own.
Zagging While Others Zig
- Gonzaga vs. San Francisco (11:30 PM EDT, ESPN2)
| Team | NIT % w Win | NIT % w Loss |
| San Francisco | 72% | 99% |
| Gonzaga | 2% | 9% |
San Francisco’s in with a loss, provided they accept the NIT’s invitation and Marcus Williams didn’t do anything that’ll start a war. Gonzaga? It’s a longshot. They’d probably need to lose kind of badly, then see a bunch of bid thieves go steal bids. Also, maybe a public pressure campaign? We won’t rule it out.
Like we said, Gonzaga is a longshot. Does the slipper still fit?
Recommended pairing: Go ahead. Crack open the nice bottle of red wine. The one with two digits on the dollar side of the decimal.
Going Coastal
- UNC Wilmington vs. College of Charleston (8:30 PM EDT, CBSSN)
| Team | NIT % w Win | NIT % w Loss |
| UNC Wilmington | 14% | 15% |
These numbers might be a little misleading. Yes, UNCW’s going to be a heavy favorite if they make the CAA Championship. But the extra win offers upside. It’s hard to know what’s best for the Seahawks. We don’t envy them.
This is what people mean when they talk about games mattering in November. Colgate doesn’t go away.
Recommended pairing: Has to be cookie dough ice cream. You just ate mac and cheese, after all.
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