We realize that 99% of you are only interested in the NCAA Tournament, but we’d not be doing our job as the ubiquitous college basketblog (who the hell came up with that slogan anyway?) unless we at least kept tabs on the other national tourneys that have been going on in the background of the Big Dance.
NIT
Imagine our surprise when during one of Sportscenter’s lead-ins yesterday showed the familiar light blue uniforms of North Carolina as part of their highlight package. Despite what CBS’ “Rules of Engagement” promo would have us believe, UNC and UConn are not a part of the NCAA Tournament. They are, however, part of the NIT, and they’re both still lacing them up in the other “national tournament.” On Friday night, Ole Miss defeated Memphis 90-81, while on Saturday Texas Tech, UAB and the aforementioned Heels got a nice road win on a buzzer-beating layup by Larry Drew II at top seed Mississippi State. All of those teams will now advance to the quarterfinal round, one step away from the semis in Madison Square Garden next week. Here’s the remaining schedule:
Second Round Games – Monday 3/22
- Nevada @ Rhode Island – 6pm (ESPNU)
- Connecticut @ Virginia Tech – 7pm (ESPN)
- Kent State @ Illinois – 8pm (ESPNU)
- Dayton @ Cincinnati – 9pm (ESPN)
Quarterfinal Games – Tuesday 3/23
- Texas Tech @ Ole Miss – 7pm (ESPN)
- North Carolina @ UAB – 9pm (ESPN)
CBI
In the CBI, the quarterfinals are set for Monday night, as follows:
- Charleston @ VCU – 7pm (HDNet)
- Morehead State @ Boston U. – 7pm
- Princeton @ IUPUI – 7pm
- Green Bay @ St. Louis – 9pm (HDNet)
CIT
Ditto for the CIT, who will play four quarterfinals on Monday evening at campus sites:
- Appalachian State @ Marshall – 7pm
- Fairfield @ Creighton – 8pm
- Louisiana Tech @ Missouri State – 8pm
- Pacific @ Northern Colorado – 9pm