Which teams qualified for the NIT tournament?
The longest running postseason tournament in college basketball, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) selects 32 teams after the NCAA Tournament is selected each year. These 32 teams usually consist of big-name schools in an effort to get TV ratings as fairness and selecting teams that deserve to continue their seasons rarely comes into play with the NIT selection committee. The NIT was run by an independent organization which favored the local New York schools thanks to those in charge, but the 2007 NIT Tournament was the first year that the NIT was run by the NCAA. The new management by the NCAA did not seem to help out mid-majors in 2007 as the Akron Zips found out. Akron finished their season with more wins than any school in NCAA Division I basketball history to not receive a postseason tournament invitation. College Sports Fans will provide NIT scores & the NIT schedule after the teams and brackets have been announced, all the way through the NIT Championship. Also be sure to
llinois State Opens 2009 National Invitation Tournament at Kansas State Winner to face winner of San Diego State-Weber State March 16, 2009 ILLINOIS STATE (24-9) at KANSAS STATE (21-11) | MANHATTAN, KS Date Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Location Manhattan, Kan. Tip-off 7 p.m. CDT Arena Bramlage Coliseum Arena Capacity 13,340 Television None Radio WJBC (Dick Luedke – Play-by-Play | Mike Matthews – color commentary) Web cast None Game Notes Illinois State notes in pdf format PLAYER TO WATCH The last time Illinois State’s Osiris Eldridge was on the court, he was named the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He became only the second player in league history to be named the MOP of the postseason tournament while playing on a non-championship team. Eldridge averaged 18.7 points per game during the tournament to lead the Redbirds. THE GAME Illinois State makes its second-straight appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. Last season, the Redbird
