Summer school valedictorians: The running NIT thread

Because Assembly Hall in Urbana-Shitpaign is booked for Cirque Du Soleil, the Whinin' Illini play the first round of the NIT in the 2,000-seat gym at Stony Brook.

Somewhere, Lou Henson clutches his chest.

 

Roughly 10 percent of the NIT field is from Mississippi. That almost seems appropriate, somehow.

 

UNC deserves a home game like I deserve breakfast in bed from a supermodel.

 

Mississippi State hosts Jackson State on Tuesday.
Winner plays winner of NC/William & Mary.
*My father graduated from William & Mary before matriculating to Annapolis.

Carry on

 

I'm stunned that both UNC and UConn accepted the NIT.

Love how they put Calhoun against Northeastern, where he coached all those years ago.

 

Stony Brook actually sits 2,000? I saw them play Vermont on TV two weeks ago, and that place didn't look like it could sit four digits. I've been in bigger R.I. high school gyms. For the Illini and ESPN, it'll be like playing in or broadcasting from the Black Hole of Calcutta.
The UAB-Coastal Carolina game looks intriguing. UAB was the only RPI top 50 team besides URI not to get into the big dance, and the Chanticleers managed to win 28 and not get a sniff of an at-large - did they play their entire nonleague schedule against Little Sisters of the Poor hyphen or compass schools?

 

Surprised Illinois isn't using Huff Hall. It seats about 4,500 (not very comfortably) and is a rather historic building. It would probably sell out due to the unique nature of playing there, as opposed to playing at Assembly Hall, where they'd draw a couple of janitors and a few passers-by who might accidentally stumble into the door.

 

Is Illinois on spring break this week?

 

Basketball team's been on vacation for a couple of weeks now.

 

Where's the bracket?

 

Does anyone really believe that adding these 32 teams to the NCAA field would make the tournament better?