One man's pick to win the NIT....

[tower912]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_glockner/01/25/bubble.watch/index.html


Read down a couple of pages.    Talk about damning with faint praise.    Ah, well, take anything we can get right now.   

[lurch91]

If Marquette (11-8, 2-5, RPI: 79, SOS: 19) doesn't recover to make the NCAAs, remind me to pick them to win the NIT. The Golden Eagles' luck this season has been insanely bad, with a buzzer-job loss at DePaul (shouldn't have been in that position) and a five-point loss to Syracuse the latest acts of unkindness. For those still counting, seven of Marquette's eight losses are by a total of 16 points.
GW: Xavier.
BL: at DePaul, although the sheer number is a huge issue now.

[buckchuckler]

Shouldn't Georgetown count as a good win?

[Pakuni]

Sweet ... another banner on its way!

[The Lens]

Now I know this is how losers talk and I know that 5 NCAAs in a row is a true sign of a program BUT...

Wouldn't an NIT Championship (or even runner-up) be more fun than a 1st round loss?  Part of me is kind of excited about a run to New York. 

[chapman]

Now I know this is how losers talk and I know that 5 NCAAs in a row is a true sign of a program BUT...

Wouldn't an NIT Championship (or even runner-up) be more fun than a 1st round loss?  Part of me is kind of excited about a run to New York. 

I'd rather lose by 40 in the first round than win the Not In Tournament.  And we already go to NYC for our conference tournament, which is a bigger deal than the NIT.

[MU gimp ONE]

i was just talking about this with a coworker today.  if we are put in the position of being in the NIT, i would love to win it all.  i would also be making the trek out to NYC for the final four of it.  Sure you can sit there and sulk that we didn't make the NCAA, but i laugh everytime one of the teams that gets "snubbed" from the dance loses 1st round of NIT.  do i hope we make the NCAA, hell yeah. but if we don't, we make the best of it.  plus in the NIT, when some of those "fans" from the lower level refuse to get tickets... it allows us in the upper level to actually move down and support the team.

we're not dead yet, just being sent for more tests.

[Markusquette]

I'd rather win the NIT than go out in the first round hands down.  It's more fun watching our team WIN regardless of where or what it is for.  Chapman, you would honestly rather see us lose by 40 in the first round than win the NIT?  I think most people here have given up hope on NCAA's anyway, so winning the NIT is cool with me.

[tower912]

 Nobody is going to roll us by 40 in the first round.    If we get in, more than likely we will be a 12-13 seed.   No potential 4-5 seed rolls us by 40 on a neutral floor.   None of them would want to play us, either.    A 12-13 seed might just put us in the sweet 16.     Then we might get rolled by 40.

[Golden Avalanche]

Much better to be in the NCAA Tournament. Look at Wisconsin last season, they were absolutely terrible and not really deserving of a bid but they took the last spot as a 12 seed. At the time, you figured it nothing more then being able to claim how many years in a row they've been in the Tournament but they go out and upset Florida State.

Especially this season, you just never know what could happen.

[ChicosBailBonds]

From a recruiting perspective, NCAA all the way.  Not even close.


It would also do wonders for Buzz because to the casual observer it will look like he kept things going.  If MU doesn't make the NCAAs this year, which most of us didn't think they would, he's likely going to have to make them next year or absolutely the year after. 


From a team perspective, if you could add another 4 games to the post season by having them go all the way in the NIT, that would be beneficial to the players than a 1st round loss, but only due to the extra games and practices.   I don't think anything prepares these kids for the NCAAs than the NCAAs (perhaps the conference tournament to some extent).

Plus, if you lose in the first round of the NCAAs, at least we made it.  Revenue, prestige, etc.  If we lose in the first or second round of the NIT, basically revenue you're screwed on and the PR hit sucks.  People here are still bitching about the MU loss to Western Michigan.

[chapman]

Much better to be in the NCAA Tournament. Look at Wisconsin last season, they were absolutely terrible and not really deserving of a bid but they took the last spot as a 12 seed. At the time, you figured it nothing more then being able to claim how many years in a row they've been in the Tournament but they go out and upset Florida State.

Especially this season, you just never know what could happen.

Agreed, anything can happen.  While I'd take a bad first round exit, the chances of having a very solid season also increase exponentially, ala UW last year or Villanova in '08 (12 seed, Sweet 16).

I'd rather win the NIT than go out in the first round hands down.  It's more fun watching our team WIN regardless of where or what it is for.  Chapman, you would honestly rather see us lose by 40 in the first round than win the NIT?  I think most people here have given up hope on NCAA's anyway, so winning the NIT is cool with me.

Yep, I'm serious.  If we lose by 40 in the first round or win the NIT you can check back again if you'd like. 

[MarquetteDano]

Sure you can sit there and sulk that we didn't make the NCAA, but i laugh everytime one of the teams that gets "snubbed" from the dance loses 1st round of NIT. 

Of course everyone wants to go to the NCAA but let's not pretend the NIT is absolutely nothing either.  Just like the "Gimp One" mentions above, what is worse is not making the tourney, complaining about it, and getting rolled in the 1st or even 2nd round.  You make the best of it and, as an added bonus, we probably would play home for at least one game which is great.