There isn’t a lot happening on the court today, so let’s make this quick:
Seton Hall is having the perfect NIT season.
They lost to Louisville by one on the road. They lost to Rhode Island by a lot on the road. They lost to Oregon by a lot at a neutral site. They got a road win over Penn State. They dominated Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels at the Prudential Center. They’re expected to finish fifth or sixth in their conference. None of this is encouraging for their fanbase. None of this is discouraging enough to leave them out of the tournament.
Seton Hall is a machine right now. A precise, well-calibrated machine. A supercomputer given the sole goal of making the NIT and giving themselves a good path to win it.
Behold the greatness we are witnessing.
Other NIT notes:
- Xavier and Cincinnati began their dance with fate, and tomorrow we’ll find out where each lies in our NIT Bracketology. As long as they don’t end up on the same seed line, we expect them to once again be in the same region. Which means just what you think it means: College basketball’s most-likely-to-end-in-violence rivalry could be played in a freshly vaccinated arena with the greatest of prizes on the line: a trip to either an NIT Quarterfinal or the Final Four.
- Georgia Tech beat Kentucky, catching our eyes (one eye each) regarding both of them. We don’t really believe in Kentucky, of course. They’ve got to do a whole lot more before we take them seriously. But a reunion with Josh Pastner would be fun.
- In today’s action, Richmond, Arizona, and Oregon all have chances to ignite panic in their respective fanbases. Thrilling.
- Also in today’s action, the Thunderdome starts its 2020-21 campaign, with UC-Santa Barbara hosting Loyola Marymount. The Gauchos are the Big West favorite, which could well translate into an NIT appearance. Herald the good news.
