For the bubble teams who did not find themselves in the NCAA field, or the mid-major teams that fell short of their conference’s automatic bid, there is the 32-team National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Those brackets were also released Selection Sunday, and feature several local teams. The top seed in the first round (seeded 1-8) will host the game, except in Iowa’s case as explained later. Below is a breakdown of who is in and what they are up against:
Northwestern - The Wildcats fell short of the NCAA tournament once again despite a great season and a record-setting year from senior John Shurna. While Northwestern is still in search of their first ever NCAA bid, head coach Bill Carmody continues to have postseason success. The 4-seed Wildcats will host Akron Tuesday night (9pm/8ct ESPN2). A win will find them up against either 1-seed Washington or 8-seed UT-Arlington. This is the fourth straight NIT appearance for Northwestern, who advanced to the quarterfinals last season.
