NIT Final Eight Preview
Auburn, Dayton and New Mexico are ahead of the pack
For all of the college basketball junkies, you don’t have to wait for the Sweet 16 Thursday to get some basketball.
The NIT Quarterfinals are Tuesday and Wednesday.
I know I’m probably the only person, but I’m so excited for the NIT. The level of teams that are still in it are pretty high.
The title game being at Gainbridge Fieldhouse must be a motivating factor for teams.
Auburn and New Mexico were a game or two away from getting an at-large spot in March Madness and Dayton lost a close game in the A-10 title to VCU for an AQ spot.
The NET ranking for the NIT teams:
Auburn: 38
New Mexico: 46
Tulsa: 52
Dayton: 69
Nevada: 70
Wichita State: 78
Illinois State: 95
Saint Joseph’s: 121 (but they had a WAB of 94)
People joke about the NIT being a title for the 69th best team in the country.
It is much better than that. The NCAA tournament has 37 at-large spots and 31 automatic qualifiers (as it should). The teams at the top of this list are top 50 or even top 40 teams in the country.
The Favorites: Auburn, New Mexico and Dayton
I was skeptical about the NIT until I saw this year’s field.
Auburn and New Mexico were two of the first teams out of the field and Dayton was one win away from getting an automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Flyers and Lobos beat their two opponents by double digits to make the quarterfinals. I am confident they take care of business and hop on a flight to Indianapolis for the semifinals.
Auburn concerns me. The Tigers beat South Alabama and Seattle, but they were close games and Auburn looked like they were cruising. They play Nevada on Wednesday. The Wolfpack rely on Corey Camper Jr. and Elijah Price. Auburn has the better guards and bigger front court, but is their heart in it? I don’t know.
Dark Horses: Illinois State and Nevada
Nevada’s chances come down to how much Auburn cares. The Wolfpack would love to continue their season in Indianapolis and play for a title. They are outmatched in every way against Auburn at their best.
Illinois State upset Wake Forest on Sunday. The Redbirds did not have a player enter the transfer portal from last year’s CBI title team.
Watch out for Illinois State to play spoiler.
The rest of the field: Tulsa, Wichita State, St. Joe’s
These three teams are on the right side of the bracket with New Mexico.
The right side of the bracket saw upsets and a New Mexico team that put up 107 in a 24-point victory over Sam Houston and beat George Washington by 25.
Predictions:
Quarterfinals:
New Mexico beats St. Joe’s
Tulsa beats Wichita State
Nevada beats Auburn
Dayton beats Illinois State
Semifinals:
New Mexico beats Tulsa
Dayton beats Nevada
Title Game:
New Mexico beats Dayton
The NIT having teams that just missed the NCAA tournament making deep runs makes it more intriguing.