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T-Who?
Published: 3/15/2010 4:33 PM
Last Modified: 3/15/2010 4:37 PM

The NIT (National Inconsequential Tournament) is exactly where TU belongs, because it is punishment.

Sure, TU should go play in this grubby NIT (National Ironic Tournament), apologizing all the way.

Exactly when did TU and ORU quit caring about reaching the big time?

The CUSA tournament drew flies at the BOK, and quiet flies at that, there was no buzz.

That tournament could have been played in the BOK board room.

NCAA tournament tips:

The number one seeds have it too easy, they play near home and have two byes.

A 1 or 2 seed has to win it all.

Sure, early upsets are plentiful and plenty of fun, but they never carry over; early upsetters are subsequently beaten by 31 by all the future NBA players.

Thirteen seed Siena will be favored over Purdue; 13-seed Murray State is apt to beat three seed Vandy.

Syracuse will be hard-pressed to get by its second round game with Gonzaga or Florida State.

Fair long shots: UNLV, OSU, Pitt, Missouri.

Good long shots: Tennessee Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Xavier, Temple, New Mexico.

Excellent long shots: UTEP, Baylor, Texas A&M.

Big 12 teams could play in the most important games of the tournament: Kansas State versus BYU or Florida, then Xavier or Pitt, then Syracuse.
Texas A&M versus Duke; Baylor versus Notre Dame, then Villanova, then Duke.

If you are out of touch for TU's NIT (National Idiotic Tournament), here's what you are apt to miss on the radio.

"Come on ref, they're gouging us, they're tripping us, they're poking us in the eye. Where'd these refs come from, an on-campus frat house? Is there a NIT (National Irrelevant Tournament) official here who can see if those whistles even work? Since when is a fracture not worth at least an alternate possession?"







Reader Comments 23 Total
Siberbullie (3 years ago)
Seems like it was relevant for Nolan's boys (Pressey, Anderson, Stewart, etc.) back in the day. When did that change? Unless they expand the Big Dance then you're going to have a lot of very good teams that don't get in. Playing in the NIT may not mean as much but going deep in it or winning it sure beats one and done in the Dance, especially from a recruiting and fan interest standpoint.
But What Do I Know? (3 years ago)
Siber.... - Sorry but disagree. NIT was relevant for NR cause it led to NCAA. CBIT and NIT this time have led nowhere but back to NIT. And that's with "The Team"! NR team and program was on the rise, NIT was good starting point, current program is on the level. This is not a very good team that did not get in. This is a very average team that didn't belong in. Expanding the NCAA is like stock dilution, issue more shares and the value of each share goes down. Personally I'd rather be one and done in the NCAA, that's something to create recruiting and fan interest. I'm tired of this mediocrity. I think most others are too.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
First round upsets:

San Diego State over Tennessee
UTEP over Butler
Old Dominion over Notre Dame

(I also have some 9s over 8s and 10s over 7s but I don't really count those as upsets)

First number one seed to lose: Duke. They won't make it past the Sweet 16, if that.

First number two seed to lose: Ohio State to OK State (homer pick).
BLA (3 years ago)
It Matters...um, we paid $15 each for our tickets and moved down to the lower bowl. You could have bought tickets for as low as $12. On Friday, you could get a 2 for 1 deal so I don't know what you are talking about high prices. You're probably THE GUY that doesn't go to anything unless the tickets are free, i.e. Drillers games b/c the $5 is too steep or you'd rather waste it at River Spirit.

What Do I Know? I would agree somewhat. I think the NIT gets the guys who will be back next year a little more experience playing in games against non-conference competition that aren't the "Washington Generals". As for the NCAA tournament and absorbing the NIT into it and have 96 participants. It doesn't really dilute it any, just makes it 1 round longer.
sax5084 (3 years ago)
Talk about irrelevant. Everybody wants to make Wojcik the fall guy and hope for a quick change with someone else: Can't we just enjoy the good vibes of going to a tournament? We weren't getting invited anywhere at 9-20.
But What Do I Know? (3 years ago)
OK we're impatient. Five years we went from 11-17 to 23-11, with one CBIT and two NIT's. What are realistic and achievable expectations from here? For example, should we set the NCAA tournament as a goal, and when should we reach that goal?

And one thing that makes it hard to have good vibes is the lofty expectations for this season. Pre-season conference favorites, etc. We should have expected a more normal season, then a tournament would be something special.
Tulsan in Exile (3 years ago)
TU fans had every right to expect a very good season this year, and nothing less than an NCAA bid. TU has plenty of talent, the most talent since the best Nolan years. What we do not have is a coaching scheme that lets players play to their strengths and enjoy playing. The players were tense, the games were dull, the fans were bored, and then absent. Next year will be more (or less) of the same. As for the NIT, in 81 it did mean something, but when the NCAA expanded, it became a loser's tournament. NIT = Not In the Tournament
But What Do I Know? (3 years ago)
The game at Kent State will tell us where we're at. If we're any good we should be able to win that game, even on the road. If not we went from being a mid-major to a mid.
The Picker (3 years ago)
This pretty much sums up the state of TU basketball: better to win in the NIT than be one and done in the real tournament.

What's wrong with being able to COMPETE in the only tournament, the NCAA! Why not win a game some decade -- or two games!

Anything is better than the NIT.

One and done in the NCAA tournament is a thousand times better than winning against bums in the NIT.

What has happened out there! Talking about a loser's mentality!

First round thoughts:

Georgia Tech over OSU.
Gonzaga over Florida State.
Utep over Butler.
Temple over Cornell.
hawkdaddy (3 years ago)
I would have to agree with the picker that the goal is getting to the "real" tournament and advancing. That being said, TU is were it deserves to be. By all accounts, they defeated two teams in the NCAA and two in the NIT. Everyone else was a bunch of scrubs. 20 wins means nothing.

Advancing in any tourney is better than going home. Not to mention a national TV audience if you make it far enough. TU fans should expect more and it's not realistic to think TU should make it to the NCAA tourney at least once every 3 years. As for me and I am sure for Doug Wojcik too, anything less than the big dance every year is a disappointment.

justanotherokie (3 years ago)
I think the smoking gun you are looking for is in 1985 NCAA went to 64 teams. That is when the NIT went tits-up.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
The NIT CAN be a good thing. Take Baylor, for example. Last year they made a run to the NIT championship which gave them momentum leading into this year. Now, they are a 3 seed and can go very far with the ease of their corner of the bracket.

The NCAA tournament should always be the goal, but TU can definitely start next year off on the right foot by doing well in the NIT tournament this year.

Pick, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you picked Georgia Tech over OSU. I'll have the crow ready for one of us come Friday night.
The Picker (3 years ago)
NITMike, you're right, the NIT can be a good thing. For Triumph the Insult Dog to reflect upon.

OSU-Tech is a toss-up. Who knows, I might like OSU later.

Is ORU the only team with a winning record that didn't make a post-season tournament?

An early warning for Tulsa: KU or somebody within a short driving distance needs to be great next year so the BOK Center will be full. Not even heaven's gift to the sporting world, Oklahoma City, has sold out the first round of the NCAA games. The CUSA tournament drew lost flies. We need OU and OSU get to good fast so home-team fans will be present. TU and ORU seem to have given up the quest for the big time. Without a "home" team, the BOK Center could be best know for showcasing senior rockers using guitars for stability.
Tulsan in Exile (3 years ago)
Pick says "TU and ORU seem to have given up the quest for the big time." Yup, TU has adopted "BOK" as the new motto for the basketball program, and a surprising number of Picks readers seem to have bought into the concept. I just hope the AD hasn't.
OSUNDN (3 years ago)
The state of the NCAA Tournament is sorry as it is. Some teams that get into the big show no more deserve to be there than any good team in the NIT simply because they can't (or didn't) win their conference tournament. A last place team in the big conferences would probably beat every 16 or 15 seed.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
"NITMike, you're right, the NIT can be a good thing. For Triumph the Insult Dog to reflect upon."

Haha, figures. I give a logical, real world example and the picker comes back with potty humor.

Make no mistake, I'm not saying being in the NIT is a great accomplishment. I'm just saying if you are there, you might as well make the best of it and hopefully carry some momentum into the next season.......unlike TU last night. Yikes.
DontHaveToGuess (3 years ago)
The Picker's right, OSU - Georgia Tech looks like a tossup. I'm going, be interesting to see how many fans for each team show up
The Picker (3 years ago)
The TU-Kent St. game pretty much says it all: Crowd, around a thousand, counting players. TU loses again, its center gets NINE SHOTS! Hitting eight. He should get nine shots every five minutes! Next year? don't ask.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Ok Pick, it's day of. Who do you have? OSU or G-Tech?
tulsandn (3 years ago)
The NCAA tourney is what all good teams shoot for & the NIT is for those who fall short of their goal.... A bunch of NIT wins compared to a one & done NCAA appearance is no comparison....

"We went the NIT & nade a good run...." yawn....

"We made it to the Big Dance that one season...." Really, that's great....

"We won the CBI tourney...." Huh, what's that....

G-tech moves on to play Ohio State.... But if OSU had made the NIT then they would have had a pretty good run....
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Who do you root for again, tulsandn? How did they do in their tournament (if they even made it to one)? It's kind of easy to criticize when you don't even have a dog in the fight, isn't it?
tulsandn (3 years ago)
I cheer for the Golden Hurricane & I criticize them also when they don't play at the level they should play at....

That being said.... Tulsa's season sucked big time, I couldn't tell if it was a lack of coaching and/or talent.... The coach said his team was ready but when you watched them play like a slug sliding down the side of an aquarium, you got just as excited.... I thought TU would have had the heart to make a stand at home against UTEP, but they had no heart at all.... One & done in the NIT, that's about what I expected after their "battle" against UTEP....

I didn't criticize Okie St. at all.... I just said they'd lose to Georgia Tech.... If they(OSU) had made the NIT, they would have had a good run....
The Picker (3 years ago)
MexiMike, what were you saying about my Georgia Tech over Oklahoma State lock of the decade?

Come out from under the bed, it'll be okay.
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The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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