National Invitational Tournament (NIT) bracket: Top 5 teams that got snubbed ft. Oregon State
There was a time when the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) was college basketball's biggest show. That bears remembering as the current NIT field, unlike many prior fields made up of teams just outside the NCAA Tournament bubble, doesn't have the same firepower. Plenty of power teams decided that if they didn't make the NCAA Tournament, they would abandon the NIT.
Still, even with that said, the 32-team NIT field missed some quality teams. Here are five who missed the NIT cut.
Five snubs from NIT field
5. Queens
A North Carolina school that hasn't been a D1 squad for long, Queens put up 19 victories this season in the Atlantic Sun Conference. North Alabama earned an NIT bid from the ASun, but Queens could have been picked as well.
Queens had a Quad 2 win over Lipscomb and was competitive in its pair of Quad 2 losses. They're not a flashy program, but they are an up-and-comer and could have made the NIT field.
4. Jacksonville
Another ASun team that had a credible resume, Jacksonville was 19-13 on the season and 12-6 in the ASun Conference. Jacksonville didn't have any Quad 1 or 2 wins but was 5-2 in Quad 3 games, including a road win at Virginia Tech and a victory over NIT-bound North Alabama.
3. Oregon State
The 20-12 Beavers had a solid season in the WCC. Of course, the elephant in the room is that Oregon State will probably bring back the Pac-12 soon enough. OSU had plenty of solid moments in its season. The Beavers boasted a Quad 1 win over Gonzaga and Quad 2 victories over UC Irvine and Santa Clara.
Oregon State was 4-1 in Quad 3 games and 12-2 in Quad 4 matchups. They avoided awful losses and had a handful of genuinely credible wins. That's an NIT-level resume.
2. Cleveland State
CSU went 21-12 in the Horizon League. There's no real signature win for Cleveland State, but a 6-6 record in Quad 3 games demonstrates some genuine competence. Cleveland State was 12-2 in Quad 4 games, so three wins over non-D1 teams certainly hurt their NIT chances.
1. South Alabama
If nothing else, the situation of South Alabama getting booted OUT of the NIT after apparently taking a spot is something to behold. South Alabama thought it had accepted a bid, but UC-Riverside instead decided that it was interesting in the NIT after all, and USA was left out.
That aside, South Alabama had a Quad 2 win over Arkansas State and was 5-1 in Quad 3 games. Richie Riley and his team belonged in the field and will probably never forget getting the "Yes, uh, I mean, no" from the NIT.
What do you think of these NIT snubs? Share your take below in our comments section!