Our NIT Bracketology is updated, and the headline speaks for itself. By beating Georgetown on Saturday, Butler has played its way back into the projected field.
Why do we care so much about Butler? Well, we like them. Indiana’s my favorite state, Butler is extremely Indiana in nature, and Butler is home to Hinkle Fieldhouse, the greatest college basketball arena in the world which through no coincidence hosts the NIT Final Four. Butler and the NIT each have a strong case to be called college basketball’s soul. Working together, they cannot be stopped.
Other movement:
Moving In: Butler, Oklahoma, Georgia, Arkansas, Minnesota, Oregon State
Oklahoma needed a statement loss, and they got it, going down at home to LSU. Minnesota needed a statement win, and they got it too, taking down USC in Los Angeles. Georgia, Arkansas, and Oregon State didn’t really play themselves into our projection as much as others played themselves out, but still, credit to the Dawgs, Hogs, and Beavers* for taking care of business.
*Sorry to the industrious among you, but I already trademarked “Dawgs, Hogs, and Beavers.” Blogger’s privilege. You can’t have it. How will I use this trademark? No idea. Pretty much any business could be improved by being renamed Dawgs, Hogs, and Beavers.
Moving Out: Texas, Wake Forest, Arizona State, South Carolina, Penn State, Florida State
Texas, what the hell?? You can’t beat Kentucky! I don’t care if they didn’t have a healthy point guard!
Wake Forest what the hell?? You can’t beat SMU on the road! I don’t care if they didn’t have Boopie Miller!
Arizona State got bumped because BYU played their way out of the College Basketball Crown, which promptly sucked ASU into its swirling vortex of calamity.
South Carolina got bumped because of all the SEC teams who moved in on the upper bubble. South Carolina probably needs an exempt bid to make this thing. If more than two other SEC teams make it, the Cocks are cooked.
Penn State got bumped because they lost at home to Washington. It was a very Penn State thing to do, and that was the problem.
Florida State got bumped because they lost by 26 points to Clemson. Like this was football or something!
Thoughts: *John Cougar Mellencamp’s greatest hits, all played at the same time at 1.25x speed*
I’m sorry, but I’m stuck on the Indiana excitement. Last year, I thought we wanted the Hoosiers in this field. What did Indiana State teach me? I just want Hoosiers. As in, people from Indiana. And frankly, Butler represents that state way better than IU ever could. (I’m willing to like Indiana again but they need to hire Shaka Smart and/or Buzz Williams and also issue a statement explicitly calling Curt Cignetti a loser.)
News: The Transfer Portal, the College Basketball Crown, and Other Earthly Incarnations of the Devil
I didn’t realize this, but the transfer portal opens a week later this year. Thank you to Andy Katz and the NIT for making that clear in this helpful video. I especially liked the part where Katz said, “Hey Chris Beard and Mike Woodson, remember when you said you didn’t want to play in last year’s NIT because you hated your players and wanted to go hurry up and go get new ones? Well, you wouldn’t have that problem this year. The transfer portal doesn’t open until 24 NIT teams have been eliminated. You—especially you, Mike Woodson—would not have to worry about still playing basketball with the portal open for business.”
Disclaimer: Andy Katz didn’t explicitly say that.
The ill-fated College Basketball Crown starts on March 31st, one week after the portal opens. So if Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East coaches want to get their “use the transfer portal as an excuse to quit on their team” fix, they can do that to the Crown. Which is good. The College Basketball Crown should not exist, and hopefully after this season, it won’t. One problem: Those conferences’ contracts with Fox Sports might include a condition where teams who opt out of the Crown can’t play in the NIT. I’m not 100% sure this is the case, but I’ve heard that rumor. If the entire Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East decline the Crown, it would be awesome and hilarious and I would laugh very, very hard. But it also might keep those conferences out of the NIT, which would be sad. Personally, I’d love to see a school like Butler play in the NIT anyway and dare Fox Sports to sue them. Fox Sports’s lawyers are notoriously busy these days.
Long story short? If you’re the Wichita State fan who asked us if Wichita State has an NIT chance…it’s possible. Fox Sports might accidentally take 23 teams out of the college basketball postseason. There’s always a chance.
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