Sports Product Review

The National Invitation Tournament kicks off tonight in arenas across the country and, if you’re like most people, you’re saying, “who cares.” Forget that the tournament is rich in history, beginning in 1938. We’re only interested in seeing the “Big Dance” which crowns the “real” champion. But I have a suggestion to make the NIT more relevant, and, ultimately much more interesting and exciting. I’ll get to that, but first, some NIT facts courtesy of www.nit.org:

The tournament was originally played entirely at Madison Square Garden in New York. The opening rounds of the tournament were later moved from New York to campus sites in 1977. The Garden was reserved solely for the semifinals and the finals. This is currently how the tournament is still played. When the tournament first started in 1938, the original field consisted of only 6 teams. It was later expanded to 8 teams in 1941, 12 teams in 1949, 14 teams in 1965 16 teams in 1968, 24 teams in 1979, 32 teams in 1980 and finally to 40 teams in 2002. Over the years, the NIT has provided many memories. Some of these memories include Abe Lemons of Oklahoma City being so mad at his team at halftime that he kept them out on the floor for a shirts vs. skins scrimmage in 1968. No, there was no miracle comeback. Duke won the game. In 1970 Al Maguire of Marquette turned down the NCAA bid to play in the NIT. His Warriors won the tournament that year with a dream guard named Dean Meminger.

So how can we make the NIT meaningful and add a level of intrigue and drama that doesn’t currently exist? Simple. Each year, the team that wins the NIT automatically qualifies for next year’s NCAA tournament.

I can hear the nay-sayers now, who will argue that teams should have to earn the bid on this year’s merits, not last year’s, and that some of the kids who were on the NIT-winning team wouldn’t even be there to enjoy the automatic bid. They’ll fear we may let in a team that doesn’t belong to the hallowed field of 65. Well, through history, 13 teams that have been in the NIT Final Four have gone on to next year's NCAA Final Four. And about that hallowed field...excuse me but Florida A&M and Niagra are in this year's Big Dance. Compare those names to last year’s NIT Final Four: Old Dominion, Louisville, South Carolina, and Michigan. Old Dominion and Louisville got in to the NCAA’s this year, and Michigan just missed. Ironically, last year’s winner, (and you had no idea, did you?), South Carolina had a bad year, and didn’t make any postseason. I’d have no problem with them as a 15 or 16 seed if it means that NIT coverage might not be relegated to the back page of the sports section and the further back recesses of our minds. Imagine the gift the outgoing seniors who won the NIT would feel they’ve given to the university. Imagine the passion with which the underclassmen would play. Think of the celebration on the court after the championship, knowing a berth to next year’s big dance was locked. It’s only one bid. But it might add considerable luster to a venerable tournament that needs a boost.

Source: NIT