Where to begin?
We lost Michigan State.
We gained St. John’s.
Oregon dropped in.
Kentucky is suddenly nowhere to be found (just kidding they’re in the NITuation they’re just further from the field than they were).
Overall, in this morning’s updated NIT Bracketology, the picture didn’t change a whole lot. Toledo and UNC are still one-seeds. Western Kentucky and Indiana flipped, and SMU took VCU’s spot on the top line with VCU (hopefully just temporarily) leaving us for harsher climes. Georgia’s still the last at-large team. Providence is out, but we remain in touch.
And yet. Those things I just said. Michigan State. St. John’s. Oregon. Kentucky.
That’s a lot of things!
And it’s only February.
Here’s the NITuation:
Possible Automatic Bids Who Are on NIT Turf but Are Too Likely to Win Their Conference Tournament
Just Marshall now, as Saint Louis is no longer likely enough to win their conference tournament to evade our grasp. Welcome, Billikens. We hope you can find your groove again. But not too much of a groove. You know. Because it’s the NIT.
Close, on the High Side
The bubble in which those that miss the NIT get smited, and I mean to Hell, but they also go to the other tournament, which is even worse.
(I don’t know if I’ve been consistent with this, but today, the teams on the left are closer than the teams on the right, which I say for the sake of my own brain processing my own writing.)
Close: Boise State, Florida, Stanford, Arkansas
Closer: Penn State, UConn, VCU, Drake
Closest: LSU, Colorado State
Close, on the Low Side
Down low you’re too slow.
Close: UAB, Furman, Kent State, Kentucky
Closer: South Carolina, Utah, Mississippi, Davidson
Closest: Pitt, Michigan State, Dayton, Providence
(Since I know some Notre Dame fans read this: ND fell out for a few reasons, but one of them was that Kentucky missed a chance to really help out the Irish résumé.)
***
And that’s the NITuation.
Now, today’s notes:
- I listed a few games yesterday that could take a kooky little turn and become NIT-relevant. I did not list Oregon/Washington State because it was would require more than a kooky little turn to make that game matter. Well, more than a kooky little turn is what we got. We got a kooky humongous turn. Welcome to our loving arms, Ducks. We’re happy you’re here.
- Tonight, Maryland and Penn State do the thing where they try to hold the door for the other. In this metaphor, the room inside the door (they’re coming from the outside) is the bad tournament. The one we sometimes refer to as Hellfire. They’re trying to damn one another by sending the other through the door. It’s not that elaborate of a metaphor, but I’m really making it drag on.
- Big opportunity for Boise State on the road at Nevada. Ah. To be in Reno right now.
- In HoLo Watch™, Cleveland State’s at Oakland this weekend. They’re very close to holding off Wright State. Three more weeks to go. But it’s not going to be easy. Because Wright State is a lot better than Cleveland State.
