The NIT is 22 days away. It’s time to start locking in. If you’re out of NIT shape, don’t worry. It is very easy to get into NIT shape. That said, you should probably start tonight. It’s a light slate. It’ll help you ease into it.
Every NIT relevant game this evening and its intensity on an NIT scale from 1 to 32:
UNC at Florida State
7:00 PM EST, ESPN
NIT Stakes: 29/32 (Game of the NITe)
UNC is right on the bubble. Florida State is also right on the bubble. Different bubbles? Yes. They are different bubbles.
Michigan at Nebraska
8:00 PM EST, FS1
NIT Stakes: 5/32 (interesting, not invigorating)
Remember Nebraska’s home winning streak? That was a fun era. Not as fun as the 2019 Tim Miles Team That Almost Could™, but not not fun. So much changes in a month.
Houston at Texas Tech
9:00 PM EST, ESPN
NIT Stakes: 1/32 (sentimental value)
Miss you, Coach Mac.
Kansas at Colorado
11:00 PM EST, ESPN
NIT Stakes: 10/32 (this could matter)
Yeah, I know. Colorado’s 11–16 and recently lost 13 games in a row. I didn’t say I was proud to have them kind of hanging around the NIT bubble. I just said they’re kind of hanging around the NIT bubble.
I hate the Craig Smith firing over at Utah, because I like Craig Smith and I think Mark Harlan is a failure and a butthole. I’ll concede, however, that it’s been funny to see Kansas catch some strays. Every report reads, Utah fired Craig Smith, and did you see they just beat Kansas?
If Tad Boyle pulls off the upset tonight, look for Mark Harlan to swoop in and unexpectedly relieve Boyle of his job. That’s evidently what beating Kansas does for you these days.
Lipscomb at Austin Peay
North Alabama at Central Arkansas
North Florida at Florida Gulf Coast
Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville
7:00 PM EST, ESPNU – Lipscomb/Peay
7:30 PM EST, ESPN+ – UNA/UCA
7:00 PM EST, ESPN+ – UNF/FGCU
7:00 PM EST, ESPN+ – EKU/JU
NIT Stakes: 16/32 (kind of a big deal)
Here’s the deal with the ASUN: Lipscomb and North Alabama are tied at 12–4. Eastern Kentucky and Florida Gulf Coast are tied at 11–5.
If Lipscomb and UNA finish tied, the relevant tiebreaker will be their records against the next team or teams in the standings. Lipscomb lost twice this year to EKU but beat FGCU. North Alabama beat EKU but lost to FGCU. UNA also lost to Jacksonville, but that probably won’t matter. What will probably matter is whether EKU beats Jacksonville tonight or not. If EKU wins, Lipscomb needs help. If EKU loses, then as long as FGCU wins, Lipscomb should control its fate.
Why do we care so much about Lipscomb? I should have led with that. Lipscomb’s in line for an NIT automatic bid if they win the ASUN and lose the ASUN Tournament. They’ve got the numbers for it. North Alabama isn’t quite at that threshold, but they could theoretically get there too. That’s why we care so much about Lipscomb. That, and how much fun they were in 2019. 2019 was a great year to be an NIT fan.
UT Rio Grande Valley at McNeese
7:00 PM EST, ESPN+
NIT Stakes: 3/32 (formality)
McNeese clinches the Southland with a win here, a Lamar loss, or maybe some third scenario? I do not know the answer to my own question, and that is why I asked it. Anyway, McNeese does have a path to an NIT auto bid. Not a great path, because they’re so much better than the rest of the Southland and the Southland made it hard for McNeese to lose in the Southland Tournament, but a path.
UNC Wilmington at William & Mary
6:00 PM EST, FloSports
NIT Stakes: 0/32 (theoretical stakes only)
There’s technically a way for William & Mary to win the CAA, but even if they did they probably don’t have the numbers for an automatic bid (neither does Towson right now). There’s also probably a path out there which gets UNCW an NIT at-large bid, but it’s not all that relevant just yet. Bottom line? Don’t let this game provoke you to figure out how to watch FloSports. There will be other opportunities for that experience.
Morgan State at Norfolk State
8:00 PM EST, ESPN+
NIT Stakes: 0/32 (theoretical stakes only)
Here, too, Norfolk State is technically chasing an NIT automatic bid. They’d have to improve all their ratings by a whole bunch over the next 22 days, though.
It’s easy for readers of The Barking Crow to get into NIT shape. It’s much harder for Norfolk State. Everybody thinks losing to Hofstra is no big deal until it is. Let that be a lesson to all of us.
**
