This is an easy thread to ignore in your sake. It is pretty clearly labeled an NIT thread.
8 Likes
Is it?! I just enjoy cracking jokes about this tournament because it flat out sucks to be in it instead of the big dance.
2 Likes
At this point, Iād rather just not go out on a 50 point showing vs Rutgers. Silverblue already made a longer post which I agree with, but we are in the thing no matter how much it sucks or not, might as well make the best of it instead of continually pointing out how much it sucks.
14 Likes
Cool post!
1 Like
Looking forward to watching this team play without the weight of trying to make the NCAAT on their shoulders. I thought Dana OāNeil hit the nail on the head when she wrote that on Thursday Michigan looked like a team that āneededā to win rather than a team that āwantedā to win. This quote has come to mind several teams this season: āDonāt let the pressure of competition outweigh the pleasure of competition.ā
8 Likes
I would argue that the NIT is for 45th place.
6 Likes
Yeah I guess thatās a good point. Better to not end on the worst half in Michigan basketball history. Canāt imagine we can be worse than 1 FG 19 Minutes.
1 Like
The single biggest thing about this is the experience the young players will gain. Teams in this tourney have winning records and anyone playing here will be fired up to play Michigan. Playing teams that are fired up is the experience we need most.
1 Like
The 69th place joke isnāt even accurate though, much a knee slapper. Michigan would beat or at least be favored in 40 percent of the field.
So, we get one more day of practice. Yea!
When I was a kid, there seemed to be a lot of excitement for winning that 1984 NIT title. I think that was the year before they expanded the NCAA Tournament to 64 teams, so it was a tougher field. And the next two seasons, we won the Big Ten, so it seemed like the NIT win was a springboard to something bigger.
'97 was more of a āif youāre in it, you might as well win it.ā feeling, as I recall. But we were happy we won.
2 Likes
When you win the NIT you can say āSee we should have been in the tournament!ā
11 Likes
Anyone else a season ticket holder trying to get tickets at 1:00? Getting errors on the ticketing site right now.
'84 was around the time when I started following U-M basketball more closely and I can vouch for the springboard narrative. Rosters were more stable back then, so it was easier to get behind the hopes of a carryover from the NIT championship into the next seasons.
4 Likes
Nice to see Vandy in the suspect bubble (ignore where UM is):
In 2004 Sparty was upset in the first round of the NCAAs by Nevada and Michigan won the NIT and I remember bragging to some friends about how weāre still playing and they arenāt. In retrospect clearly as a coping mechanism because it seemed like UM was never going to make the NCAAs. God those were some truly dark timesā¦
3 Likes
if that happened this year, we could at least say we have the most recent win in the tournament!
ah yes, rutgers, the dictionary definition of an explosive team
2 Likes
Check out OSU.
2 Likes
In a case like that (one team wins the NIT, the other loses in the first round of the NCAAs) you can make the argument that your team belonged in the tourney instead of theirs. That was a legitimate argument that year when we were one of the first four out.
1 Like