Before we get to the Fites, some takeaways from Tuesday NITe’s Flites:
- Robbie Avila’s still got it. Or at least a fragment of it. I don’t think anyone would say it’s been a strong A-10 landing for last year’s icon, but with last night’s game-winner…maybe the run’s coming? Dangerous to hope, I know. But Isaiah Swope had a huge night too, carrying the load through the world’s most painful comeback. Deep down, those two are winners. Our hope, as their loyal NIT fanbase, has to be that they win just enough to not win the A-10 Tournament.
- Good for Mike White. Sad for Georgia, who messed up their NIT plans, but good for Mike White. That guy is tough, and maybe that’s enough to keep his Florida tenure’s ending from cutting too deep. But you have to imagine last night felt good.
- BIG win by Oklahoma State. Kind of nerve-wracking for Iowa State fans, between the injuries and the knowledge Indiana’s probably at least trying to get in touch with T.J. Otzelberger. But hey, Iowa State dug their grave here. This is what you get when you become way too good to contend for an NIT berth. Anyway, the Pokes are very alive. Don’t let anyone tell you Abou Ousmane didn’t win a ring in 2023.
- For about 45 minutes, it looked like Santa Clara was going to start a conversation, and not about Santa Clara. Excited to have the Broncos aimed squarely in our direction. The WCC NIT exempt bid race is a fun one.
- James Madison won, but they didn’t win by a million, as we prescribed. The Dukes are running out of chances to get their KNIT score down to 125 or better. Meanwhile, NIT legend Scott Cross and Troy continue to hang around. Their KNIT mark entered the week on the right side of the threshold. More on the Sun Belt below.
- Non-zero chance Pitt misses the NIT, and not because they don’t accept the invitation. There’s a ways to go to get there, but it’s all in front of them. Louisville (A). NC State (A). Boston College (H). The ACC Tournament (A). We can all picture it. Soon, the world will picture it, and my curse will be fulfilled.
Now.
Tonight’s bouts.
Conference by conference again, since there are a lot of them.
SEC: Remember John Calipari to Texas?
One bummer about John Calipari being so financially committed to Arkansas: We’d be having a field day with John Calipari to Texas rumors right now, were we born into a different universe. In this one, the Hogs host Texas in the evening’s Game of the NITe. Lot of bubbles there. Like a crossover between Powerpuff Girls and the Spiderman multiverse. (9:00 PM EST, ESPN2)
Earlier in the night, in College Station, Vanderbilt’s looking to avoid a big win. We mentioned this above with regard to Otzelberger, but with the carousel already active, keep an eye out for good–not–great teams making a late-year swoon. That goes for Chris Beard in Oxford. That goes for Buzz Williams’s Texas A&M. Distractions are everywhere. I feel like Jon Rothstein should have a catchphrase about that. (7:00 PM EST, SECN)
Up in Norman, Oklahoma vs. Kentucky might be messy but it should be really, really fun. Like a food fight. Which reminds me: Which coach would have the most fun in a food fight? If you’re limited to the SEC, it might be Mark Pope. If you expand to include the whole country, don’t try telling me it’s not our man Tim Miles. (9:00 PM EST, SECN)
ACC: Andy Enfield Returns to California
Technically, Enfield already went back to California once this year. But is Palm Springs really considered California? It is? It’s more similar to L.A., where Enfield coached USC, than to the Bay, where Enfield coaches this week? You know, that makes sense. My apologies.
Andy Enfield’s in California this week, and SMU has a prime opportunity to cement their NIT legitimacy. The bigger of the two chances comes very late tonight at Cal. (11:00 PM EST, ESPNU)
In the other half of the ACC’s West Coast Wednesday, Stanford hosts Boston College. The Cardinal are comfortably in NIT position as things stand, so this is a little bit of a tune-up for Kyle Smith’s crew. Although…BC’s won two straight, folks. ACC Basketball on The CW. (9:00 PM EST, ACCN, not The CW)
Wake hosts Virginia, and I won’t dress it up. This is the kind of game Wake Forest likes to lose. Nothing against Wake Forest. Everything in support of Wake Forest, actually. But keep backing up that truck, Deacs. We’re waiting on the loading dock. (9:00 PM EST, ESPNU)
Big 12: Mark Harlan Appreciation Night
Here are three things Mark Harlan has done:
In 2023, the Utah athletic director made a big stink about how Utah wouldn’t leave the Pac-12, months before Utah left the Pac-12.
In 2024, the Utah athletic director made a big stink about a bad call in the Utes’ football loss to BYU, blaming the refs for his team’s loss after his offense failed to score on every second-half drive.
In 2025, the Utah athletic director fired Craig Smith shortly after emotional wins over Kansas and Kansas State, making sure to include a sentence in the press release which said Utah is committing enough resources to win in men’s basketball. This is the kind of thing athletic directors say when they’re not committing enough resources to win in men’s basketball.
Anyway, Utah plays at Arizona tonight in their first game post-Smith. It sucks. Guys like Gabe Madsen should still have something to play for. Instead, Harlan made clear he’s done with this year’s team, evidently disliking the extremely likable Smith so much he needed to get the guy’s scalp in February, when he’d still get attention for doing it. Condolences to Utah’s next coach. (9:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
Elsewhere in the state of Utah, BYU’s having such a good year that we’re not focused on BYU. Instead, it’s Arizona State we’re watching as they try to dodge the College Basketball Crown, keep Bobby Hurley more relevant than Danny, and get back in time for dinner. This one’s in Tempe. (9:30 PM EST, ESPN+)
Finally, K-State at UCF. The gloves are off. The NIT is on. Jerome Tang vs. Johnny Dawkins at world-famous Addition Financial Arena. (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
Big Ten: Penn State Lives
Winners of two games in a row, Penn State heads to Bloomington with the potential to do something really funny to recent bubble import Indiana. This is why we pay for Peacock, folks. Not because this game’s on Peacock, but because it could be on Peacock. (8:30 PM EST, BTN)
Later, Ohio State—2024 NIT participant and recent addition to the bubble mix—plays USC in a game where surely everything will go right and nobody will walk away feeling like their world is disintegrating into dust. College basketball! (10:30 PM EST, BTN)
Big East: Georgetown vs. Butler (Proxy War)
We wrote a little bit about this yesterday. Butler and Georgetown are neck and neck for the Big East’s NIT exempt bid. What a world we’ve come to inhabit.
At historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler hosts St. John’s, whose best players—Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith—are familiar with the scenery. Upside only for the Bulldogs. (9:00 PM EST, CBSSN)
At the XL Center, former home of the Hartford Whalers, Georgetown matches up with UConn. One clarification here: Thomas Sorber was only recently ruled out for the season, but he’s missed two and a half games now. Another: Dan Hurley has never achieved meaningful NIT success. (6:30 PM EST, FS1)
Elsewhere, Villanova does visit reigning national champion Seton Hall, but Nova’s pretty locked on that College Basketball Crown trajectory. Hopefully for their sake they’re working on getting that tournament canceled. (8:30 PM EST, FS1)
Mountain West: Paint the Court Blue
A simple request, when you think of it. If you’re going to take away Taco Bell Arena’s name, at least give us a blue court!
Boise State’s playing with fire as Utah State comes to town. Can the Broncos land their NIT plane? (10:30 PM EST, FS1)
WCC: San Francisco’s Answer
Santa Clara made their statement with those fifteen minutes of basketball. Now, it’s San Francisco’s turn. The pair have been neck and neck all year for the first round NIT home game. Can the Dons regain the edge? And if they don’t, could Oregon State work its way into the fray? San Francisco. Oregon State. Live from Corvallis on YOUR living room TV. (11:00 PM EST, CBSSN)
Atlantic 10: Billy Ball
They say Saint Joseph was a carpenter, and I don’t remember how I was going to segue here but the Hawks are knocking on the NIT’s door. Big game against St. Bonaventure in Philly. Billy Lange is trying to keep the riot at bay, and the Bonnies aren’t that far out of this themselves. (7:00 PM EST, Peacock)
Remember when we were head over heels for George Washington? That was dumb of us! Nevertheless, the Revolutionaries keep hanging around the periphery. Two good road wins this month. Can they get a third at Loyola? (8:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
Dayton’s a main NIT character, and shortly after Archie Miller said he wanted to expand the NCAA T*urnament to however many teams it takes to keep him regularly employed, the Flyers show up in Kingston. Can Anthony Grant’s crew increase that number? (7:00 PM EST, CBSSN)
Last (for us—sorry La Salle friends), George Mason hosts Fordham, who at one point this season won five straight games. People forget that. They even beat Bryant, who might win the America East. Should be straightforward for the Patriots. (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
The American: Ok, But What If Memphis?
What if Memphis? What if Memphis does this? They’ve got four games left in the regular season, and every one of them’s against a team who’s probably worse than I realize. Starting with Rice, where I like to think Rob Lanier beat Memphis more than once during his SMU days. (8:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
Missouri Valley: Drake Can Clinch
This might sound strange, but there’s more to basketball than the NIT. For example: The Preseason NIT. And conference championships!
Drake can clinch the MVC with a win tonight at Evansville. Or a couple other scenarios. But that’s the main one. (8:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
With Drake potentially missing the NIT on the high side, Bradley’s in line for the exempt bid. They’re at Valpo. And yes, they still have Duke Deen. (9:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
Big South: Did High Point Clinch?
Not in line for an exempt bid but in line for an automatic bid, High Point hosts USC Upstate in their Big South finale. I’m pretty sure High Point already clinched the Big South—UNC Asheville can tie them, but UNCA’s loss to Radford should be the tiebreaker—but, you know, they probably don’t know that. Nor should they care! Go win it outright, you culty little furnishers. (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
Sun Belt: Round 2
With Marshall and App State eliminated (because App State lost and JMU won), we’re down to four horses in the Sun Belt: James Madison, Troy, Arkansas State, and South Alabama, the last two of whom trail JMU by 1.5 games and both play tonight.
To be completely honest, I haven’t confirmed there are paths for Arkansas State and South Alabama to win this league. But! They can at least win a share, you know?
For the discerning NIT fan, Arkansas State’s a very viable NIT automatic bid option. South Alabama, less so. So, while Arkansas State only needs to win tonight against the Ragin’ Cajuns (8:30 PM EST, ESPN+), South Alabama should be looking to blow out Southern Miss (8:30 PM EST, ESPN+).
ASUN: Also Round 2
This is great. I forgot these guys played again this early.
We wrote at length on Monday about the ASUN’s title scenarios. To rehash here: Lipscomb’s in a good spot to get an NIT automatic bid if they win the title. Their competition, North Alabama, isn’t in as good a spot, but it’s not quite impossible for the Lions to pull this out.
Lipscomb and North Alabama are tied entering tonight. Lipscomb hosts Central Arkansas (8:00 PM EST, ESPN+). North Alabama hosts Queens. (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+). If both somehow lose, FGCU enters the tiebreaker mix with a win over Bellarmine (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+). More likely, both win and that FGCU game determines who wins the ASUN. If FGCU wins, Lipscomb wins the conference. If FGCU loses, it could go to North Alabama, depending how Jacksonville and Eastern Kentucky do.
Patriot League: No NIT, But…
American’s trying to hold off Bucknell at the top of the league. Matt Rogers and the Eagles host Navy tonight. There are scenarios where they clinch. Might even only need a win? (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
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Great stuff ahead. Buckle those chinstraps. It’s Wednesday NITe, America. That means violence.
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