You for sure should be talking about the Big Dance, however I think the NIT could make a lot of noise this year. Now I am not saying that the NIT is by any means better then the NCAA, but there are some VERY intriguing matchups. Lets breakdown some of those matchups as a part of the NIT Tournament Guide presented by yours truly.
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Bear with me as there’s no titles for each division of the bracket. This section of the bracket is one that has the toughest challenges for anyone that is vying for the NIT title. Below are the teams that I think can make the most noise and a brief reason why.
- #1 UNC Greensboro Spartans- They were the first team out of the NCAA tournament. It will be very interesting to see if they come out with a purpose or not. The Spartans should be a favorite to win the NIT.
- #4 Lipscomb Bison- The Bison were oh so close to making it to the Big Dance for the second time in program history. Head Coach Casey Alexander has turned this program around in terms of being a conference powerhouse, now he’s trying to make it a nationwide mid-major.
- #6 Harvard- Though they didn’t win the Ivy League Conference tournament, they have beat a couple of teams that are playing as automatic qualifiers (@Saint Mary’s and Yale twice.) This is a team that is capable of pulling off an upset or two during their NIT tenure.
Winner: UNC Greensboro
Potential Dark Horse: Lipscomb Bison
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There isn’t as much excitement for this group of teams as there was for the previous section. Yet, we take a look all the same.
- #1 Indiana: This is a very talented team, but I don’t think they should have accepted this tournament bid. This is a team that lost 12 of 13 games. And this is a team that could very well lose to St. Francis (PA).
- #3 Furman: This is a very interesting Furman team. They have played a pretty decent schedule, beating Loyola Chicago early in the year. Upsetting tournament team Villanova, they lost to UNCG twice this year. This is a team that should see the Final Four of this tournament.
- #7 Wright State: After getting crushed by Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League Championship, Wright State is trying to make sure they leave that loss behind them and focus on beating Clemson.
Winner: Furman
Potential Dark Horse: Arkansas
Here’s the full NIT bracket. pic.twitter.com/72FtkcdGHy— Christopher Heady (@heady_chris) March 18, 2019
Here is the bracket as a whole.