NIT Wednesday Preview
North Texas vs Furman - A former NIT winner is back again, looking to win another one for their program. One of the best defensive teams in the country for the last few years is an absolute nightmare to play against. Furman will need to put up a lot of shots early in the shot clock if they want to stay in this game. But if this North Texas team is putting the ball in the basket, they are damn near impossible to beat.
San Jose St vs Loyola Chicago - It is a little bit confusing why San Jose was chosen for this field at 15-19 when there were way better teams not invited. On top of all that, they have a home game? I expect Loyola to win this game by double digits and come in and walk out with a chip on their shoulder.
San Francisco vs Utah Valley - Two of the better mid-major programs on the West Coast go at it in a 10 PM CT game tonight. San Francisco does have two 7-footers that will be a problem to deal with for Utah Valley because they just don't have a good matchup for them on their roster. I have seen games this year where San Francisco has not taken advantage of their size in the paint, but we will see if the coaching staff has made adjustments before this one.
George Mason vs Samford - George Mason is the best team in this field and is upset after a very poorly officiated championship game vs. VCU. Jalen Haynes down low is a monster, and Auburn transfer Johnson brings the perfect intensity for the roster. Samford is battle-tested from their non-conference schedule.
Bradley vs North Alabama - Bradley is a great team coming out of the Missouri Valley that has a win over Drake this season and has wins over two other teams in this field. North Alabama, on the other hand, doesn't have any good wins outside of a win vs. Lipscomb in January at home. Their only hope is Jacari Lane; if he catches fire, look out for an upset in this one.
Dayton vs FAU - These were the best two teams coming into the season. Dayton didn't make the tournament because the A-10 is historically a multi-bid league, but not this year. Both teams lack the influence of the players they had last year and stumbled down the stretch in their conference play. This is a pick-em game that I will probably just enjoy as a fan, but I would lean toward Dayton.
Saint Joseph’s vs UAB - UAB came up short in the American Conference title game against Memphis, coached by a good coach in Andy Kennedy, who is 15-7 in NIT games in his career thus far. Saint Joseph’s does have a future NBA player on their roster in Rasheer Fleming, who is a presence down low at any time. But it seems like he's not enough to win them games alone against good teams. They are going to have to knock down their open looks when they get them if they want to advance in the tournament.
UC Irvine vs Northern Colorado - UC Irvine should have gotten an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. They need to expand the tournament ASAP. They should take care of business tonight. They have way too much size and experience for Niw Colorado to keep up. Keep an eye out for UC Irvine's 7-footer Brent Leuchten.
SMU vs Northern Iowa - SMU thought that they had a good enough season to make the tournament, but they did not. I think that they belong in the NIT, but they got a bad draw with Northern Iowa as a 1 seed. I think that they should get it done; Northern Iowa's best wins came in conference, and I try to stay away from teams like that during tournament time.
