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UNC, N.C. State in NIT
Mar 15, 2010
Two Triangle universities will continue their basketball season in the NIT.
N.C. State (19-15, 5-11 ACC) and North Carolina (16-16, 5-11 ACC) accepted invitations late Sunday to participate in the nation’s oldest postseason basketball championship.
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The NIT, the National Invitation Tournament, selects 32 teams from among those not selected to the 65-team field of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
Carolina, the 2009 national champion, had an uncommon down year after losing four key pieces of that title team in Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, and Tyler Hansbrough. The Tar Heels are making their sixth appearance in the NIT. They won it in 1971, topping Georgia Tech.
N.C. State last played in the NIT after the 2006-07 season, advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to West Virginia. The Wolfpack’s best NIT finish came in 2000, when they lost in the semifinal game to Penn State.
Virginia Tech will also take part in the NIT. The Hokies finished with a 10-6 record in the ACC and 23-8 over all. Sunday night they became the first team in the history of the conference to win 10 games and get left out of the NCAA Tournament. Tech will host Quinnipiac on Wednesday night in the first round.
The NIT opens at the home arenas of the higher seeds with first-round games Tuesday and Wednesday.
Madison Square Garden hosts the semifinal and final rounds Tuesday, March 30 and Thursday, April 1.
In determining the field and seeding teams, a committee looks at various computer rankings, results of regular season and non-conference play, polls and head-to-head results. Eleven teams that won the regular season in their conference but did not get a bid to the NCAA Tournament automatically qualified for the NIT. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack were among 21 at-large teams invited.
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Most Recent Comments
RE: UNC, N.C. State in NIT
Home skillet, why so torn over UNC? It must have something to do with conference records. After all, why would state be invited and not UNC, the team that beat them twice. 19 wins is probably why state got in. UNC may have got in for beating state twice. You're right though. I was surprised about UNC's invite, but I'm not going to say they don't belong. After all, 19 wins is not a pre-requsite for everybody. You're right though, state wouldn't have never been thought of with a .500 record. I'd like to see them play again though.
- Posted by 879wins
Why would state be invited and not UNC?
Because Carolina finished 16-16. They only won 5 of their last 18 games, so they weren't even "hot" recently. They only beat (I believe) two ranked opponents. They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament.
State won 5 of their last 7 games. They won two games in the conference tournament. They finished with 19 wins.
Basically, State did enough to justify their NIT bid. Carolina did not.
Anyone not blinded by their love for the Heels can admit they were only invited because of the Carolina name. Period. There's really nothing more to be said. There are very few teams out there that could play Carolina's schedule, and win and lose the same games, and end up with an NIT bid. That's just the way it is. When your team benefits from favoritism, you tend to ignore it and try to justify it. But in this case, there's no other justification for it.
RE: UNC, N.C. State in NIT
Home skillet, why so torn over UNC? It must have something to do with conference records. After all, why would state be invited and not UNC, the team that beat them twice. 19 wins is probably why state got in. UNC may have got in for beating state twice. You're right though. I was surprised about UNC's invite, but I'm not going to say they don't belong. After all, 19 wins is not a pre-requsite for everybody. You're right though, state wouldn't have never been thought of with a .500 record. I'd like to see them play again though.
Same goes for Duke
It's also the reason that Duke, the worst of the four #1 seeds, got the EASIEST path to the championship. There is NOBODY worth a dern in their bracket. CBS and the NCAA want Duke to stay alive as much as possible, because of money. People love or hate Duke, moreso than any other team. Everybody tunes into Duke games in the tournament.
RE: UNC, N.C. State in NIT
Player hating. Your arugment has no basis. Why is NC State in the tournament when they got owned twice this year by what packers call state's rival , UNC? Let me guess, state should be in NCAA tournament?
I'm truly sorry that UNC ruined state's chance to be the headline. I guess that's what happens to redheaded step children.
- Posted by 879wins
No, State belongs in the NIT, not the NCAA. They belong there because they won 19 games, beat 6 ranked opponents (some on the road), and won 5 of their last 6 games, including two tournament games.
State got their headlines. They played their way into the NIT, which is exactly where they deserved to be.
Carolina did not earn anything this year. They belonged at home, and that SHOULD have been their headline. They were invited out of favoritism, and the NIT wanting to make money. They love being able to tout themselves as having the defending national champion in their tournament. That's EXACTLY what this is about.
Say State played Carolina's schedule, and ended up with the same results. Do you think NC State gets into the NIT with a 16-16 record? Let me answer that: HELL TO THE NO!!!
Carolina got in because of their name. Nothing more, nothing less. They earned this bid over their first 99 years of basketball. NOT their 100th year of basketball.
RE: UNC, N.C. State in NIT
Player hating. Your arugment has no basis. Why is NC State in the tournament when they got owned twice this year by what packers call state's rival , UNC? Let me guess, state should be in NCAA tournament?
I'm truly sorry that UNC ruined state's chance to be the headline. I guess that's what happens to redheaded step children.
Rank: Sports Legend 
