Auburn to NIT Final Four?

by WarDamnZach on Mar 18, 2009 12:00 AM CDT in Basketball

No matter whether Auburn should have made the NCAA Tournament or not is all out the window now. We did not make it. Period. Now let’s move on. The Tigers start their chances tonight at Beard Eaves, but can we make the Final Four of the NIT?

I really, really do not want to be one of these teams that is on the NCAA bubble and then lays an egg in the NIT. Don’t get me wrong the NIT will always be the bastard step child, but this year the NIT has some real talent in it. There are quite a few teams that in my opinion have a better case for the NCAAs than some of the teams that got in. Let’s look a bit closer at who could make the NIT Final Four.

Penn State (22-11) is the biggest one in my opinion. How Florida (23-10) got a number one seed over Penn State is beyond me. The Nittney Lions were left out when Minnesota and Michigan were allowed in. Both Minnesota and Michigan finished behind Penn State in the Big Ten (Eleven). Look for them to make it out of that bracket beating Providence (19-13) to reach the NIT Final Four.

St Mary’s (26-6) could win the NIT if Patty Mills plays like his pre-injured self. The Gales are for real. I see St Mary’s playing San Diego State (23-9) for the rights to the NIT Final Four in that bracket.

Creighton had 26 wins in the regular season. They should have made the NCAAs, the killer for them was the beating they took in the first round of the conference tournament. I have them matched up with Kentucky (20-13) in the second round and UAB (22-11) in the third round and Creighton winning both to make it to the final four.

Auburns bracket is rough. The entire bracket is rough for that matter.

Auburn (22-11) takes on UT Martin (22-9) and they have the player of the year in the conference, and can put up points. I see Auburn winning this one at home, although the crowd will be light due to spring break.

Northwestern (17-13) is a team that Auburn could face if both win their opening round game. This team reminds me of Auburn in the fact that they were left for dead, and fought back. They are a scrappy bunch that plays with heart. Sound familiar?

If Tulsa (24-10) beats Northwestern, that will be Auburns foe. Tulsa won 24 games in Conference Memphis, I mean Conference USA. They are very good. The Tigers will have to play their best to win this one.

Baylor (20-14) played to the finals in the Big XII tourney. They can shoot the three very well. I wonder if they have played too hard to keep advancing in any tourney, and they get the well rested Georgetown(16-14). The Hoyas have been a heard team to read this season. They started off like gang busters and finished terrible. I see the Hoyas pulling out a squeaker.

Virginia Tech (18-14) is another team that could have made the NCAAs. They beat some of the top ACC teams this season in Wake Forest and Clemson. The Hokies match up against Duquesne (21-12). The Dukes finished second in the A10 Tourney getting beat by Temple. I am taking the Hokies.

I am taking Auburn and Virginia Tech for the rights to the NIT Final Four. Auburn will have to battle with Tulsa to get there, but I have faith in our Tigers.

So the NIT Final Four is set in my bracket. Auburn, St Mary’s, Creighton and Penn State. Who pulls it out? We shall see.

War Damn Eagle

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Comments

I don't know...

if teams seeded high in the NIT suffer from PTSD (Post tournament selection disorder) and don’t play very well because their hearts have been broken, or if they just suck it up and play lights out. I guess we’ll see how well motivated Lebo can get the boys.

by War Eagle Atlanta on Mar 18, 2009 11:16 AM CDT reply actions

Thats the key.....

if Lebo can get the chip firmly in place on this teams shoulder they should be able to do well…..if they are still bemoaning the snubb and not fired up it will be a short postseason. Lets hope its the former and the Tigers take care of business…..a good showing will certainly help recruiting.

I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU

by Todd92 on Mar 18, 2009 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions

Um, basketball?

Why the heck are we talking about basketball when there is perfectly good football gossip to talk about!!!!!!!!!
Bama in trouble again?

by LSU Jonno on Mar 18, 2009 2:55 PM CDT reply actions

I saw that

Hilarious that they are all said to be the same car. Can you imagine coming up on the athletic dorms and seeing that. It’d be like a Dodge dealership. If it’s true than I think textbooks are the least of bama’s worries. If it’s true.

"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum

by GumptownTiger on Mar 18, 2009 4:37 PM CDT up reply actions

I've seen all that...

Are you really going to trust something off some guy’s blog, Jonno? Even if he is an Auburn guy? I don’t know how he got the TSN page.

Let me see something from the NCAA on the subject and I’ll pay attention, but chasing down Alabama recruiting malfeasances is like trying to catch every fly at a picnic…

by War Eagle Atlanta on Mar 18, 2009 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions

The rumors about Jarrell Harris were pretty prevalent.....

last year after he signed, but I didn’t pay attention to them….but after personally seeing Dre Kirkpatrick driving around in a new Dodge Charger just a few days after signing day……I have some belief that it maybe true. Key word here is “maybe”. I still am not going to put much into it until I see some sort of PLOI from the NCAA or an admission from SPUAT. I hope its not true for one…..I can’t say it enough…..its bad for the SEC and its bad for AU. When has it ever done AU any good to beat a crappy Bammer team? OK, other than the warm fuzzy feeling you get because it makes idiot bammer fans all crazy and stuff (like my brother….LOL). But the inner peace portion aside…..it weakens our league and hurts our strength of schedule (see 2004). As far as Boosters from Gadsden you would think after the Gene Jelks fiasco that the boosters from this area would avoid this sort of thing like the plague. But I guess its possible that, bammers being bammers, the self entitlement thing runs deep. I would hope that this is not true also because this would be in the major of major violations that could get the Turds on probation so bad that they might not recover for another 10 years or worse the death penalty.

I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU

by Todd92 on Mar 19, 2009 8:38 AM CDT up reply actions

Motivation?

…..Lebo’s problem has seldom been motivation. Even in the loss to Tennessee last week, those guys were playing their hearts out. No, with Lebo, it’s getting players to Auburn, and keeping them there.

…..As to Bama gossip… I’d almost rather they DIDN’T get in trouble. If Bama gets more probation, they’ll just blame away any loss as being the NCAA’s fault. I gotta ask you, Jonno, do they have the apostrophe disease in Louisiana? One of the most embarrassing things about being from Alabama, is that 80% of all residents who can read believe that any word that ends in “s” must have an apostrophe. Those things litter corporate memos in this state. “Italic’s.” Wow, did that make me cringe! Reliable source? Not likely…

by Acid Reign on Mar 18, 2009 4:32 PM CDT reply actions

Tough Bracket

If they get to the final four, they might just have the motivation to win it. But to tell you the truth, St. Mary’s could offer the most competition, even over Penn State.

Thats Good For Another Jacksonville... First Down.

by Bestjagfan on Mar 18, 2009 8:24 PM CDT reply actions