What Penn State Basketball needs to happen Sunday to make NIT
By Evan Smith
Sunday is the day we find out if Penn State Basketball will continue its season in the NIT (National Invitational Tournament).
Yesterday did not go the Lions’ way, as we saw bid stealers throughout the day.
If, as is interim Head Coach Jim Ferry’s stated preference, the season is going to continue, Penn State Basketball can’t afford more bid stealing Sunday.
Games of the Nittany Lions‘ rooting interest split 4-4 after a 4-5 day Friday. Particularly brutal results were the Big East and Pac 12 Championships, where both Georgetown and Oregon State stole NCAA Tournament bids.
Why is this bad for Penn State?
Any team earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament kicks one at large team out of the NCAA Tournament, and drops them into the NIT Tournament. This “bid stealing” could be the difference between Penn State playing more games or not.
DRatings moved Penn State down one spot, from the 12 seed to the 13 seed after yesterday’s results. Remember, with only 16 teams making the NIT this year, they are putting Penn State squarely in the most perilous position.
According to DRatings, Penn State would be the only B1G representative in the tournament. Their “bracket rating” has Penn State at a 2.444 and the next closest B1G team is Indiana, the third team OUT of their NIT projections at 1.957. The last team in their bracket currently is Lousiana Tech, with a ranking of 2.275.
The Barking Crow moved Penn State down one spot to the #4 seed, projecting just a fascinating rematch vs their #13 seed, Seton Hall. Remember that brutal home overtime loss just a few months ago? They also have Indiana in as the #15 and Minnesota in as the #16. While BC is high on the B1G as a whole, they are very down on Michigan State, listing them as their #5 seed while many others think they will be in the NCAA Tournament. NIT Bracketology is not easy, folks.