“Are you ready for some basketball???? A Wednesday NITe party???? Hey this is Bumpin Joe and Stu, we’ve got the games for you, the brokenhearted!!!! We’ve got the winners on the court, and they’re sayin’ losing’s right, all our NIT friends are back for Wednesday NITe!”
Please don’t tell ABC we did that.
The games this evening:
Game of the NITe
- 8:00 PM EST: Oklahoma @ Kansas State (ESPN+)
It’s still last stand time for the Sooners, who’d be among the NIT favorites were they to make it, but probably need to win these next two to make that happen. If they lose toNITe, it’s win–three–straight season, and Oklahoma hasn’t won three straight since they were playing at the State Farm Field House back in Kissimmee.
Innocent days, the ones in Kissimmee.
UNC, Wisconsin
- 7:00 PM EST: Pitt @ Notre Dame (ESPNU)
- 9:00 PM EST: Penn State @ Northwestern (BTN)
- 11:00 PM EST: Utah State @ UNLV (CBSSN)
We’ve got some ACC shenanigans helping to lead off the NITe, with Pitt holding a path to taking the league’s long-rumored NIT automatic bid that goes: Lose to Notre Dame, beat Miami, lose in the ACC Tournament. Honestly, not the wildest path, but we still probably don’t want it.
Why?
If it happens, it hurts our chances of getting Wisconsin or UNC.
Go Panthers, or whatever it is they say.
With Penn State and Northwestern, we want Penn State to win and we want Penn State to win by a lot. This isn’t about wacky Q1 Wisconsin math. It’s just about getting Penn State higher on the bubble.
Similarly, we want Utah State to win big in Las Vegas. Just need help on the bubble. Pretty straightforward right now.
Upper Bubble
- 6:30 PM EST: Xavier @ Providence (FS1)
- 7:00 PM EST: Auburn @ Alabama (ESPN2)
- 9:00 PM EST: Mizzou @ LSU (SECN)
We aren’t as sold on Providence, Auburn, or Mizzou having an NIT chance, but we can see the path for all three and we wanted an excuse to tune in to what should be some of humanity at its worst as the Tigers (the Auburn ones, we understand half these teams are named the Tigers) go to Tuscaloosa. I’m not sure Mizzou would be out of the NIT mix with a win, but I’d guess Providence and Auburn each would be.
Lower Bubble
- 7:00 PM EST: Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (SECN)
- 7:00 PM EST: Fordham @ George Mason (ESPN+)
- 7:00 PM EST: UMass @ Duquesne (ESPN+)
- 9:00 PM EST: Tulane @ East Carolina (ESPNU)
Vanderbilt’s trying to hold off a whole lot of teams, and while none of these others are in the immediate mix, Tulane’s close and it’s still too early to write off Fordham and Duquesne. Look out, Commodores. Try not to lose by 25.
Lower Bubble AND Auto-Bid Implications
- 7:30 PM EST: Sam Houston State @ Stephen F. Austin (ESPN+)
- 8:00 PM EST: UT Arlington @ Utah Valley (ESPN+)
It’s been two days since we talked about the WAC’s standings, and I still don’t understand them. It’s possible Utah Valley could clinch the league with a win, which is what would happen if the WAC were choosing its champion through the use of wins, losses, and a head-to-head tiebreaker. Are they, though? Or are they using that formula they’re using to seed the WAC Tournament? I might have to send an email, everybody. I might have to send the WAC an email.
Just Auto-Bid Implications
As was the case yesterday, nothing in this bucket. Might want to erase this section tomorrow.
Or is that what the NCAA *wants* me to do?
Really Low Bubble
- 7:00 PM EST: Maryland @ Ohio State (BTN)
Ohio State, in the universe we think is ours, is done. But. If this universe isn’t that one, and if teams are allowed to finish below .500 overall and still make the NIT, Ohio State has a chance. We’ll keep an eye on these fellas, just in case. (Also they could get to .500 by winning five more in a row and then losing in the Big Ten semis or championship.)
Conference Tournaments
- 6:00 PM EST: Charleston Southern vs. High Point (ESPN+)
- 7:30 PM EST: Lindenwood @ Southeast Missouri State (ESPN+)
- 8:00 PM EST: Presbyterian vs. Campbell (ESPN+)
- 10:00 PM EST: Southern Indiana vs. SIU-Edwardsville (ESPN+)
Let’s play….Guess Who’s in the Big South and Guess Who’s in the OVC!
We’ll start with neither: The NEC Tournament begins as well but it has no impact on the NIT, because of Merrimack winning the regular season title and being in their D-I transition era.
Now. The other two:
Also in their D-I transition era? Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, but they’d each have to win four straight games in the ladder for that to madder. It looks like it’s Lindenwood and SEMO on Morehead State’s side of the bracket, and NIT bubble fans probably want Lindenwood to win this game. Just trust me on that, ok? It’s a long explanation, and I don’t want to write it right now, so I need you to trust me.
Down in Charlotte, we’ve got play-in games. UNC-Asheville will take on the winner of High Point and Charleston Southern on…Friday, I believe. Not much to see here.
Vanderbilt wins. Will they move up in your seeding now?
It definitely helps. I don’t know if this means Vanderbilt will have a home game in our next update – and that depends on what teams around them do tonight – but that was a good win, and not one they were expected to get. Doesn’t seem to have moved their NET and KenPom much, so that’s the only caveat. Those are two metrics the committee’s decisions correlated strongly with last year.