A funny thing about NIT blogging is that not a lot of people understand how the NIT works. It’s not their fault. They’ve never thought about it. A team sliding from a 7-seed to an 11-seed in that other tournament? That, they understand. But society doesn’t really train people on how quickly teams slide through a 32-team field, especially one occupied with convoluted automatic bid recipients and stretching across only three or four points worth of Vegas spread. Blog about the NIT, and you end up having to explain the NIT to people. You feel like a nerd. You got into it to be cool!
Anyway, the pack is tighter in NIT territory.
It is very possible to miss the NIT.
This is the thing we run into most. People use “NIT” to mean anything other than the NCAA T*urnament. 12–13 Arkansas? NIT, they say. 13–13 Arizona State? To the NIT! Benghazi? This, too, somebody has probably called an NIT participant.
We’re running into this the most right now with Memphis. Memphis stinks at basketball right now. To use a popular current phrase in the college basketball media, “They’ve been ass lately.” They have some good accomplishments—they beat…well, I suppose Texas A&M on the road is a pretty good win—but they’ve lost six of nine, they’re losing to teams like Rice, and there’s still season left for them to continue playing at this putrid level. Might they make the NIT? Yes. They certainly have a chance. But there is no birthright for them to the National Invitation Tournament. Only 32 teams! That’s fewer than it sounds like! Just because a bunch of journalists were really wrong about something doesn’t make it true. Memphis was never a top-ten team. We’re still recovering from that AP Poll.
We should be running into this with Miami as well, but I get the impression that when Miami is bad, its basketball fans just burrow down into the sand like those owls in Hoot. Do they know? Do they not know? I’m not sure. But I cannot see them right now.
Penny vs. Pitino
It was a big weekend of college basketball (we’ve got Ivy League thoughts but I’ve been having a bad face day and I am hopelessly vain, so no videos yet on that). The biggest parts? Penny Hardaway and Rick Pitino shitting all over their respective teams.
“This is terrible. This is not competing at all. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s not competing. Not all guys. Don’t try to do that to all the guys. Seems like some have, though. It’s been going on like that for a minute, though,” Hardaway said. “It’s been just the same guys all year. I don’t know what it is. I just don’t know what it is. We’re winning, they were unhappy. We’re losing, they’re unhappy. So it is what it is. We’re just trying to fight around a lot of stuff.”
“We are so unathletic that we can’t guard anybody without fouling. For me, I’ve always enjoyed the first year, and I’m not gonna lie to you: This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime. This has been so disappointing.”
“We kind of lost this season with the way we recruited. We recruited the antithesis of the way I coach. It’s a good group, they try hard, but they’re just not very tough.”
We aren’t here to debate who’s the better coach. Pitino’s never won an NIT. Hardaway has. What we’re here to figure out is which of these two men is down worse right now.
I kind of think it’s Hardaway.
The thing about Penny Hardaway, for all his flaws, is that I think he keeps it realer than Pitino does. Pitino could always be up to something. Maybe this is a motivation tactic. Maybe it’s him realizing he wants to retire. Hardaway? He’s always kind of just been who he is. Right now, that is a very sad dude.
Ohio State Is Back
We may have lost UCLA (just when we thought we had them), but after upsetting Purdue, Ohio State is back. Momentum is in the building in Columbus. And with Indiana not looking likely to make the NIT, this could be what we need to pack Indianapolis for that scintillating first week in April.
What we were afraid of, with Ohio State, is that they would lose so many games that their NIT appearance would be brief and sad. We weren’t as worried about them missing it as we were about the sad part. Now? Now, they can spin it as a turnaround. They’ve got a little life. They’re playing with each other. Jake Diebler’s crying in the locker room and it’s coming off positively to the viewing public. Is Ohio State America’s NIT team?
No.
That’s where it gets even better.
Because who might be waiting if Ohio State make the NIT Final Four? Hinkle Fieldhouse’s own Butler Bulldogs. Coached by (formerly) Ohio State’s own Thad Matta.
So many layers at play. Apologies to every other team in the country, but I think we might want Butler vs. Ohio State in the NIT Championship. (Ideally, Butler would play Indiana State in the semis and Ohio State would have to go through Nebraska.)
Daytona Is Fickle
We almost had a great Daytona 500 finish yesterday, which is to say a chaotic one. Instead, the race ended boringly, giving us the absolute minimum quantity of last lap. This has me realizing:
Between the rain and the whims of caution flags, superspeedway racing is very dependent upon the fates. I think we should account for this and sacrifice large piles of tires in the infield grass before every superspeedway race from here on out. What’s that you say? Burning tires causes climate change? Well, sorry, but it’s the climate I’m wanting to change here! Get this rain out of my face! This thing should have been on Sunday!
Etc.
The NIT, NITexas, and 2019 NIT Champion Shaka Smart:
- Texas lost and won these last three days, as expected. Still no NITexas movement from them. Time’s running out, but they do play these next two on the road. Could see a little fade down the stretch, you know? Maybe finish 18–14? Maybe lose to Oklahoma State or West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament?
- Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles got obliterated by UConn. No spin zone, even from us. It was dominance by UConn. Too bad they left the AAC. Imagine UConn playing this top-ten Memphis team.
- Very excited for Butler’s trip to Villanova this evening. Also excited for VCU’s trip to UMass, and San Francisco’s trip to Saint Mary’s, and of course all the beautiful action on ACC Network. (If only it was on the CW.) I’m even excited for San Diego State playing Utah State. After Virginia’s course correction last night, I have a vague suspicion Utah State could be next.
- Speaking of Virginia, a reminder: When we get excited about a team moving towards the NIT, it’s because we love that team and are happy for their pursuit of greatness. Some UVA fans were upset with us for celebrating them nearly getting doubled up in Blacksburg. Don’t you Hoos see? We were happy for you!
Joe Kelly, Burnley, and the Ottawa Senators:
- It’s hard for me to know when someone makes a bad play in hockey, which makes what Joonas Korpisalo did on that Connor Bedard shot on Saturday all the more distressing. Then, the Sens have the gall to go dominate the Lightning last night? Panthers tonight. Korpisalo back in net.
- Speaking of things in the net, Burnley got beat 5–0 by Arsenal on Saturday. Under Sean Dyche, only Man City could do that to our lads. Times are rough.
- Joe Kelly’s son, Knox, played ping pong with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. I know everyone’s going through something and nobody’s life his perfect, but Knox Kelly might be an exception to that rule.
