NIT Thoughts and Reflections

NEW YORK – The 73rd National Invitation Tournament is in the books. The thought was on everyone’s mind during the days in New York; the hope is it doesn’t come to pass. With expansion of the NCAA tournament to 96 teams seemingly inevitable, the general feeling around Madison Square Garden was the NIT would be in the history books. And it was not a sentiment that observers expressed with positive feelings.

“Ending the NIT would be a tough decision,” Dayton coach Brian Gregory said following the championship game. “Dayton built its brand name here (winning in 1962 and 1968) at Madison Square Garden with coaches like (Tom) Blackburn and (Don) Donaher. It’s important to play here at Madison Square Garden.”

Roy Williams admitted an NIT Final Four was not an objective as practice started in October. Williams would rather play the first Monday, not Thursday, in April. Still, he was pleased to be playing in a tournament with established prestige. “I have always had a great appreciation of the history and tradition of the NIT,” Williams said after the semifinal win over Rhode Island.

History and tradition were common words used by coaches, players and observers regarding the NIT, the nation’s oldest post-season tournament. The end of that tradition and history would make college basketball a little bit poorer if the greed behind 96 teams allows the NIT to end.

Semifinals

Dayton 68, Mississippi 63
North Carolina 68, Rhode Island 67 (OT)

Championship

Dayton 79, North Carolina 68

• Jim Baron took the high road. With just under ten seconds left in overtime and North Carolina clinging to a one-point lead Larry Drew II took a jumper with the shot clock almost at expiration. The shot missed. Rhode Island grabbed the long rebound and appeared headed in transition. The URI player fell, no call, and seconds later the buzzer sounded.
  “We got the rebound it looked like there was contact and (the URI player) tripped,” Baron said regarding those final seconds. The Rhode Island mentor was quick to add that the final play did not decide the outcome. “We have been good all year from the line,” Baron said. “Tonight we missed the free throws down the stretch. North Carolina made their free throws near the end of regulation and in overtime. They made the plays needed to win, we did not.”
• Dayton relied on solid defense to get to New York. The Flyers continued that trend en route to their third NIT championship. In the semifinal win over Mississippi, the Flyers limited Ole Miss to 34 percent shooting from the floor. The SEC representatives struggled from three-point range, shooting only 6 of 23 (26 percent). The two main threats, Terrico White and Chris Warren, were a combined 4 of 17 against the Dayton defense.
• Offensive rebounding was a Dayton concern in the final against North Carolina. Against URI, the Tar Heels enjoyed a 27-15 edge on the offensive boards, which translated into 15 more field goal attempts than the Rams. In the final Dayton battled UNC even 11-11 on the offensive glass.
• North Carolina did come out in the final with a more effective perimeter game. Through the first four NIT games the Tar Heels shot 26 percent from beyond the arc. Against URI in the semis they were 2 of 17, a haggard 12 percent. Against the Flyers the Tar Heels shot 8 of 15 (53 percent) for the game. They trailed by 13 at the half and used their three-point shooting, notable by junior swingman Will Graves ( a game-high 25 points on 7 of 13 from three) to get right back into things after intermission.
• Dayton saw their lead cut to one during the first four minutes of the second half in the championship. The Flyers’ Marcus Johnson then hit a three-pointer to get the lead back to four. For most of the second half it was a two-possession game, but the significant thing for Dayton was not losing the lead in that final half.

All Tournament Honors

Most Outstanding Player – Chris Johnson, Dayton – 14 points vs. Ole Miss, team high 22 points 9 rebounds in the final.

All Tournament:
Delroy James (URI) – 13 points 8 boards vs. UNC
Will Graves (UNC) – 14 points vs. URI, 25 in the championship game.
Deon Thompson (UNC)- Double figures in scoring and rebounding both nights. He broke an NCAA record in the championship by appearing in the 152nd game of his collegiate career.
Marcus Johnson (Dayton) – Team-high 20 points in final, scored 12 in semis.

Tempo Free, Other Numbers

• No surprise. To get this far you need defense. Dayton got both opponents under 1.00 points per possession in New York. In fact, Dayton had the only offensive performance over 1.00 PPP with a stellar 1.16 against North Carolina.

• The semifinals, thanks to a healthy turnout of URI devotees, drew 11,689, while the final attendance was 9,827 and a good percentage were backing Dayton.

From the NIT Final Four press conference. Each of the four head coaches was asked what the NIT means, in general, to them.

Jim Baron, URI: “It’s tradition and history when you think of the teams and players that played here. Walt Frazier was an unknown before playing in the NIT (with Southern Illinois in 1967). He got drafted and led the Knicks to two NBA titles. The Garden is special. I used to sneak into it when I was young to watch Red Holzman’s Knicks.  The NIT also gives you the memories of great people in New York basketball like Frank and Al McGuire.”

Brian Gregory, Dayton: “For me as a coach at Dayton it means trying to continue a great tradition established by coaches (Tom) Blackburn and (Don) Donoher. Back then Dayton built its national recognition largely on what they did in the NIT.  This tournament has always meant a great deal to our fan base.”

Andy Kennedy, Mississippi: “The NIT makes me think of the heritage and lineage of a great tournament. There are no excuses for playing in the NIT. It gives teams an opportunity to win a championship and playing in the Garden is always a big deal.”

Roy Williams, UNC: “The NIT means tradition. It is a tournament that has meant so much to college basketball. The players today may not realize the tradition, but it is always special to get to play in New York. My junior year at North Carolina (70-71) we lost by one in the ACC final to South Carolina. We got the chance to play in the NIT and won it. Back then the NCAA had 24 teams and the NIT 16, so getting in post-season was difficult.”

MIssissippi State: Bulldogs Deliver More Late-Season Heroics

When Mississippi State’s season started Nov. 13, Bulldog fans had reason for concern.

The Bulldogs dropped the season opener at home to Rider 88-74. The team’s top recruit, Renardo Sidney, was stuck in eligibility purgatory. With the demise of UCLA, the team lacked any tough non-conference opponents that would give the Bulldogs a signature victory.

Back-to-back losses in early February dropped Mississippi State to 4-4 in the SEC and seemed to knock the Bulldogs off the bubble. Even though the Bulldogs immediately came home to complete a regular-season sweep of in-state rival Mississippi, they lacked any marquee wins. Luckily, an early season win against Old Dominion turns out to be a strong, résumé-building victory.

So as Mississippi State entered the SEC tournament this week, the Bulldogs were in a familiar position.

Last season, the Bulldogs had no chance to receive an at-large bid with a 19-12 record in a relatively weak SEC. But in 2009, Mississippi State caught fire and stormed through four teams in four days, including the only two other SEC teams to make the NCAA Tournament,  to win the conference’s automatic bid.

The SEC is stronger this season, so a 9-7 finish — identical to last season’s conference record — is more respectable. But Mississippi State still came into the SEC tournament needing to make a deep run to reach the NCAA Tournament. And somehow, the Bulldogs have found a way to make an encore appearance in the SEC championship game.

Mississippi State started this year’s run with a big win against bubble mate Florida in the quarterfinals. That win kept Mississippi State relevant in the at-large discussion but did little to propel them past the likes of Virginia Tech, Rhode Island or Dayton. The Hokies and Flyers each had two more wins against the RPI top 25 at the end of Friday, and the Rams have a better strength of schedule and fewer bad losses.

Today’s win against Vanderbilt might be the victory that propels Mississippi State into the NCAA Tournament, though. When comparing the Bulldogs’ profile to rival Mississippi’s, the most noteworthy difference was Mississippi State’s lack of a win against an elite team. The Rebels knocked off Kansas State in November, which remains a fantastic win. The Rebels also have a win against UTEP, which almost certainly will be in the NCAA Tournament. For Mississippi State to surpass their in-state rival and other bubble teams, the Bulldogs needed to notch a marquee win. And beating the Commodores might do it.

Ranked No. 20 in the RPI, Vanderbilt is a great scalp for the Bulldogs to claim. If Mississippi State can remain competitive against Kentucky in the SEC championship game, the Bulldogs have a great shot at receiving an at-large bid even with a loss. If they lose badly, they could be in danger of slipping out of the field.

Of course, the easiest path to making the NCAA Tournament for Mississippi State is to complete the encore performance by defending the team’s SEC title.