Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
Playing in the NIT is good for some teams, not so good for others.
Now that all the hubbub over UNC snubbing the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), not to be confused with the off-court competition for Name-Image-Likeness money (NIL), is over, the Tar Heels are looking pretty good in their decision to get started on having a better 2023-24 season.
While schools waiting for the best players to enter the transfer portal have finally seen 48 teams lose in the NCAA tournament, it looks like some NIT teams had hangovers from Big Dance disappointment. Especially in the ACC.
Clemson, the No. 1 seed in one of the four NIT brackets, ended an outstanding regular season and conference tournament by losing to unseeded Morehead State in overtime. In Death Valley. Hear that sound? It was however many fans showed up at Littlejohn high tailing it for spring football.
Virginia Tech got an NIT bid and was unseeded. So it had to travel to Cincinnati and play Wes Miller’s well-schooled Bearcats. The Hokies led by three points at the half before letting Cinci run them out of Fifth-Third Arena in the 81-72 final. Another loss to another lesser conference.
Two made it from the ACC, which had five receiving NCAA bids, so less than half the 15 teams in the once-powerhouse league didn’t play in the postseason. Wake Forest, which went 2-5 in its last 7 games, never got the NIT ask.
A few other schools should have followed the Tar Heels strategy.
Washington State lost to Eastern Washington, sure to be the summer punch line across the Evergreen State. EW lasted one more game before getting blown out by top-seeded Oklahoma State, which then lost to North Texas and failed to be the first Power 5 team to reach the semifinals in Las Vegas.
Despite Villanova having a worse season than third-seeded Liberty, do you think the Wildcats liked flying to Lynchburg and losing to the Flames? Well, they did.
And how about Rutgers, which with Carolina was one of the First Four Out, accepted a bid as top seed of its region and lost at home to Hofstra in OT. It was goodnight for the Scarlet Knights, who have slept it off by now.
The best game that nobody saw was Saturday at noon in Nashville when second-seeded Vanderbilt and dapper coach Jerry Stackhouse entertained third seed Michigan and beat the Wolverines, who blew a late lead with four straight horrendous, scoreless possessions. Vandy plays UAB tonight for a spot in Vegas, where Stackhouse would be a headliner.
As for UNC, well, it lost a bunch of tough games and said no to the NIT, just like Duke and Coach K did in 2021.
Featured image via The Sporting News
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Art might be right about the NIT, but I’ve told everyone I know that the UNC basketball program is in terrible shape. And the fact that we didn’t make the tournament and have now lost 4 players to the transfer portal is proving me right. Plus the fact that 5 of the 6 players we’re losing (so far) are 6’8” or taller doesn’t bode well for defense, rebounding, an inside game, etc…Wes Miller would turn us around like he did UNCG and Cincinnati, but Hubert is here to stay. So do we accept an NIT bid next year? Hmmmm… It really doesn’t matter much, does it? And a shout out to my friend, Lee!!
Don 2020? More like Don the Con-Man.
Congratulations on those keen prognostications, fantasy boy. I’m sure they’ll all come true since you done thought’em..all by yourself too! Keep waggin’ your finger as you swig your own swill..such a shallow shrill
Disappointed to read this article attempting to justify Carolina’s cowardly end to their season. Chansky actually summarizes this pathetic attempt by invoking a comparison to Duke and Coach K? So if UNC players start flopping on defense next season, that’s cool because Duke does it? How about if several UNC players are involved in a homicide, that’s OK right because Alabama is rolling through their season and winning is all that matters…….No, sorry….. Not losing seems to be the point of this article. As in Hubert and Bubba did the right thing by avoiding another loss. Look at all those foolish teams that actually played in the NIT and lost.
You know what, they might have went out losers, but they certainly didn’t go out quitters, which is exactly what UNC looks like with their decision to not honor and respect the game.
Take that last beating like men, don’t hide behind the excuse of “we’re looking forward to next season” because you’re too embarrassed to answer the bell.
Or better yet, play in the NIT and win.
Oh yeah, that would take work, the kind of work the coaching staff and team obviously didn’t put in this season (and off-season for that matter).
Much easier to just quit.
You know who didn’t quit this season?
The fans and Carolina community. Lead the NCAA in home attendance. And their reward? A cowardly and selfish coach and AD that denied them at least one more home game, as well as denying all those local business and their workers much needed revenue from at least one more home game.
Way to honor and respect your fans and the game of basketball Hubert and Bubba!!
I believe don 2020 is a dooky. Nothing but running down one of the finest sports programs in the country, consistently in the top 10 across the board. Tiresome reading.
“Wes Miller would turn us around like he did UNCG and Cincinnati…”
Well, I went and looked up the great Cincinnati success story. Full disclosure, my first choice for UNC coach was Wes, 2nd was Hubert. I also think there is very little difference in each’s ability.
The schedule with results:
https://gobearcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
Carolina’s worst loss was to Indiana by 12, two days rest after a 4OT game against a very good top 5 Alabama team, which itself was played as the 3rd game in 4 days on the west coast. Cincinnati’s worst loss was by 33 to Chaminade. There are at least 3 blow out losses by Cin.
Carolina’s average loss was by 6.2 points. If you insist on comparing Wes to Hubert, then face the facts, Hubert has had two much better years against top competition.
I did not want Carolina to play in the NIT. There was no way their heart was going to be in it. They would just be the big target. It was a good decision.
Ex-Redex: I’m sure I should be offended or hurt by your comments but I’m not smart enough to understand them. But I will say this: I was born during Dean Smith’s worst days at UNC and he actually spoke to me in 1981 and said, “I know you from somewhere. You came to my basketball camp 3 or 4 years ago, didn’t you?” And I told him I did. And I was a friend of Matt Doherty’s at UNC and really wanted him to succeed as head coach. But it just didn’t happen. As a devout Christian, I am thrilled that Hubert witnesses to his players in his words and actions, but the basketball program is a mess. I pray every day that Hubert changes young lives through the Holy Spirit, but he’s losing players from just down the road from Chapel Hill, as well as others; and it sure looks bleak. There is no doubt that Wes Miller would have been a better hire, but we all knew that wasn’t going to happen. So I hope I’m COMPLETELY wrong and we get back to basketball dominance, but where will the help come from??? From short, good-shooting guards to replace 6 forwards? Nope! From Creighton Lebo and Beau Maye? I doubt it but you never know! From Above? Yep!!!! And Hubert would make a GREAT team chaplain for a Wes Miller-coached team!!!!
Hey, Lee!!! I hope you’re doing well, my friend!!
Don 2020 is definitely not a Dooky. Just a blue collar Tarheel whose only application to college was to UNC to watch and play sports and whose parents (Don and Peg) were hard-working, blue collar folks who struggled to pay their bills and my way to college. But we made it through hard work and determination and the Lord, and maybe Hubert will prove me wrong. But regarding Miller’s current record, just watch his under-talented teams play in his second year at Cincinnati. He is a player’s coach, and he will be a huge success somewhere. Our program is currently in shambles, and while Cincinnati didn’t make it to the final four of the NIT, they played hard and are improving immensely under Wes. I truly pray for Hubert and his Faith, and I truly hope he proves me wrong.
Hey, Lee! I’ve got folks stirred up!!!! I hope you’re doing okay.
You constantly run down the UNC program and coach while falsely insinuating that Wes Miller is doing a better job. And As I pointed out above, that is just pure fiction on your part.
You are helping dook and any other program other than UNC with your false BS. So, dooky fits quite nicely regardless of where you went to school or who you claim to speak to.
Go Heels!