The Final Four begins tonight.
No, not that Final Four. Ugh. I hate that you assume that. This Final Four—the one that matters—begins tonight.
Yes, in the hallowed hall known as Madison Square Garden—the only arena I know of that has a train station in its basement—the NIT Final Four tips off tonight. In the first matchup, at 7:00 Eastern Time, Wichita State squares off with Lipscomb. Following that, friends and foes TCU and Texas rekindle the magic. On Thursday, at 7:00 Eastern Time, the winners of tonight’s games compete for the greatest title in sports: The designation of NIT Champions.
It’s ok if you’re just getting to the NIT. It’s ok if you’ve lost track of it a bit along the way. While we’re happy for all of you who have stuck with the tournament the whole way through (we know how much you’ve enjoyed it), the NIT journey is a long one, and we welcome fans at all stages in their personal exploration.
So, if you need a refresher, or you just want to join in basking in the glory that has been the 2019 NIT, here’s what you should know. All probabilities are taken from my close friend Joe Stunardi’s model, and all else comes from The Universe.
Wichita State
Championship Probability: 13%
What’s at stake
Gregg Marshall is looking for his (and Wichita State’s) second NIT title. For context, only eight coaches in history have won multiple NIT’s, with only two (Dave Odom and Johnny Dawkins) accomplishing the feat in the modern era.
A championship would also cement Wichita State as, alongside Stanford, the NIT program of the decade.
History weighs a heavy weight upon the shoulders of the Shockers.
How they got here
Wichita State was likely the second-to-last team in the field (consensus is that San Diego was behind them on the committee’s list), needing a surge in the AAC tournament to prove themselves worthy.
Since entering, though, they’ve done nothing but make noise. They took down Furman at Furman. They took down Clemson at Clemson. They took down mighty Indiana in Assembly Hall. The odds may not be in their favor tonight, but they haven’t had odds in their favor in weeks. The Shockers are making a habit of proving the haters wrong, rallying around senior forward Markis McDuffie, who hails from Ridgewood, NJ, mere miles from the Garden.
If they win, who wins NIT Stu’s 2019 NIT Pool!?
Well, it depends who they beat in the championship. If they beat Texas, Moderateleigh Dickinson wins. If they beat TCU, Stuart McGrath wins, meaning most of the prize goes to Commissioner Amato ruined Fantasy football because Stuart McGrath is one of our own here at The Barking Crow.
Lipscomb
Championship Probability: 25%
What’s at stake
I believe the bison is America’s official animal (if not, I have been deceived), and what would be more American than programs named for this great beast holding both the NIT and FCS national championships? For the Atlantic Sun, a title would legitimize the conference in the eyes of a nation. For head coach Casey Alexander (a rising star in the business), a title would only further the hype.
How they got here
Lipscomb has been a mid-major darling the whole season through, and by dropping both games to Belmont in non-conference play, they assured themselves of an NIT berth should they hold off Liberty for the regular season title and bow out of the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
Disciplined team that they are, the Bisons did just that, then found themselves looking at quite the favorable draw, as far as draws go for five-seeds. In their opener, Lipscomb traveled to Davidson, charging back across the Smokies with a first-round win in their pocket. On their next visit to North Carolina, they took down UNC-Greensboro, showing the Spartans what a real mid-major darling does in the NIT.
After two straight games in North Carolina, one would think it improbable that the NIT would make Lipscomb come back a third time.
But the NIT does not obey your mortal probabilities.
So the Bisons came to Raleigh, and in the best game of the college basketball season, they pulled off the victory over tournament favorite North Carolina State, completing their tour of destruction en route to New York.
If they win, who wins NIT Stu’s 2019 NIT Pool!?
Regardless of who the Bisons defeat in the championship, clfenwi would be our champion.
TCU
Championship Probability: 25%
What’s at stake
TCU last won the NIT in 2017, so a championship would lead to talk of dynasty. It would also put Jamie Dixon in that aforementioned elite company, alongside the all time greats (Dawkins and Odom).
How they got here
TCU, for much of the year, felt like the bubble team time forgot. Sure enough, they slipped into the NIT in a decision that could have gone either way. Thank goodness it went this way.
The men from Fort Worth haven’t exactly steamrolled Sam Houston State, Nebraska, and Creighton, but none of those games were close. True to form, the Horned Frogs are here to play, and with Dixon at the helm, they’re here knowing full well what it takes to conquer New York.
If they win, who wins NIT Stu’s 2019 NIT Pool!?
A TCU victory would give the title to The Barking Crow’s own Stuart McGrath, sending most of the prize to runner-up Commissioner Amato ruined Fantasy football.
Texas
Championship probability: 37%
What’s at stake
Shaka Smart has long been touted as a rising star in the coaching ranks, but you can only be a rising star for so long. Thankfully, Smart has finally made a Final Four that matters, surely calming those notoriously-hard-to-please Texas boosters.
Still, a championship would be nice, not just for Smart, but for the seniors in this program and their friend or friends leaving soon for the NBA Draft.
How they got here
As a personal witness to this run, I can confirm it’s been a doozy.
They started the tournament with a 19-0 lead on South Dakota State, only to let the Jackrabbits back into it and need a late escape to play again.
In the second round, against Xavier, things got dicey once again, with The Universe requiring overtime for the Longhorns to vanquish the Musketeers.
It’s hard to say when exactly this happened, but at some point in that Texas/Xavier game, something primitive awakened inside the Frank Erwin Center. Those who were there felt impassioned. Those on the court tapped into a well of energy previously absent. Whatever it was, these Longhorns were not the same when Colorado came to town, running the Buffaloes back across the plains.
Now, the world awaits to see if Texas, as the favorite, can keep that rush alive. The world awaits, Texas. The world awaits Texas.
If they win, who wins NIT Stu’s 2019 NIT Pool!?
A bracket named McDaddy will win if Texas wins.
