2012 NIT Bracket Picks

First Round –

8 UT-Arlington Mavericks (24-8) at 1 Washington Huskies (21-10), March 13, 7 pm (PDT)/ESPNU:
The Huskies who you’ve heard became the first power six conference champion to miss the NCAA field. Who are the UTA Mavericks? Well they won the Southland Conference regular season championship but lost in the conference tournament semifinals and were an auto-bid for doing so. I’ve seen the Mavericks in person the past couple years but I feel UW will be motivated in this tourney. The pick: Washington

5 Akron Zips (22-11) at 4 Northwestern Wildcats (18-13), March 13, 6 pm (PDT)/ESPN:
Can Northwestern rebound from a first-round loss in the Big Ten tournament, which sunk the ‘Cats NCAA chances. Akron lost in their tournament championship game to Ohio and having won the regular season title where an auto-bid selection. John Sherna is a fun player to watch but at the end of the day I like the road team. The pick: Akron

6 LSU Tigers (18-14) at 3 Oregon Ducks (22-9), March 13, 6:30 pm (PDT)/ESPN:
Will last season’s postseason success for the Ducks help them navigate the NIT? Dana Altman isn’t a stranger to the NIT making his third appearance in this tourney in the past five years (2008/2009 second round losses at Creighton). LSU has been playing better the last month and played Kentucky tough in the SEC tourney which probably helped in the selection to the NIT. The pick: Oregon

2 Dayton Flyers (20-12) at 7 Iowa Hawkeyes(17-16), March 13, 4:30 pm (PDT)/ESPN:
No, your eyes do not deceive you, the higher seed in this match-up is playing on the road. Why? Well remember the NCAA plays the first four at the home of the Flyers. Like LSU the Hawkeyes have played better basketball of late after a sluggish start. I think this is a 50/50 game but I can’t remember the last game I watched Iowa lose at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The pick: Iowa

8 Savannah State Tigers (21-11) at 1 Tennessee Volunteers (18-14), March 13, 5 pm (PDT)/ESPNU:
The Volunteers worked their way into the bubble conversation winning games over the last month but we’re taken down in the SEC tournament semifinals. Savannah State won the regular season MEAC title but was upset in their conference tournament. The pick: Tennessee

5 Marshall Thundering Herd (21-13) at 4 Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (25-6), March 13, 6:15 pm (PDT)/ESPN3:
Marshall made a run to the Conference USA finals and worked their way into the bubble conversation which ultimately burst yesterday. Middle Tennessee State is another autobid team in this field having lost in the conference tournament. I saw these two teams a total of three times on TV so it’ll more of a coin toss for me. The pick: Middle Tennessee State

6 Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-14) at 3 La Salle Explorers (21-12), March 14, 4 pm (PDT)/ESPN2:
I’ll admit that that I’ve not seen La Salle play this year and I’ve seen the Gophers a lot more on TV living here in the Midwest. Winning 20 games is an accomplishment for La Salle, especially in the Atlantic 10 which produced four NCAA teams. The Gophers were an off and on team but still were competitive in most games that I watched and played respectable in Indy this past weekend losing to Michigan in overtime. The pick: Minnesota

7 Valparaiso Crusaders (22-11) at 2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (19-12), March 14, 4:30 pm (PDT)/ESPNU:
Valpo lost in the tournament finals to Detroit in their own gym in what’s been a good season for Bryce Drew’s team. The Hurricanes were another bubble team that didn’t make the other dance but this is a team that could make a run for Madison Square Garden. The pick: Miami (FL)

8 Stony Brook Seawolves (22-9) at 1 Seton Hall Pirates (20-12), March 13, 4:15 pm (PDT)/ESPN3:
Stony Brook won America East but lost to Vermont in the finals which puts them in the NIT. Seton Hall is a team that many had as another Big East team in the field. The pick: Seton Hall

5 Massachusetts Minutemen (22-11) at 4 Mississippi State Bulldogs (22-11), March 13, 4 pm (PDT)/ESPN2:
Here is a match-up of 22-11 teams, both from conferences that sent four teams to the NCAA tournament. Mississippi State struggled down the stretch which hurt any NCAA case that it had. UMass lost in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. The pick: Massachusetts

6 Central Florida Golden Knights (22-10) at 3 Drexel Dragons (27-6), March 14, 4:15 pm (PDT)/ESPN3:
Many of us know the story of Drexel, lost their conference tournament championship game which snapped a 19-game winning streak but wasn’t selected to the tourney. Central Florida was one of the better CUSA teams but got pummeled by Memphis at that conference tourney. The pick: Drexel

7 Northern Iowa Panthers (19-13) at 3 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (20-13), March 14, 4:15 pm (PDT)/ESPN3:
Following Creighton basketball I watched both St. Joe’s and UNI beat the Bluejays on their home court. The Panthers will travel to Hawk Hill to and tangle with this A10 foe, but I like this match-up of two of the better non-power six leagues. The pick: Northern Iowa

8 Bucknell Bison (24-9) at 1 Arizona Wildcats (23-11), March 14, 6 pm (PDT)/ESPN2:
Bucknell is in as an auto bid while Arizona is another Pac 12 school that didn’t make the tournament. The Wildcats have been better the last month and lost to Colorado in the conference title game which Bucknell lost in the Patriot League finals. The pick: Arizona

5 Nevada Wolfpack (26-6) at 4 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (27-6), March 14, 6:15 pm (PDT)/ESPN3:
In one corner we’ve got a WAC regular season champion who narrowly missed the NCAA tournament and in the other we’ve got the Summit League regular champion who just missed the tournament. It’s a shame this game isn’t on national TV because I think it’ll be a solid watch. The pick: Oral Roberts

6 Cleveland State Vikings (22-10) at 3 Stanford Cardinal (21-11), March 13, 8 pm (PDT)/ESPN2:
I like the job that Johnny Dawkins has done at Stanford, which has seen the Cardinal improve each season it seems. Cleveland State is an exciting team to watch if you’ve not seen them play or highlights, I’m tempted to take another upset in this match-up. The pick: Stanford

7 Illinois State Redbirds (20-13) at 2 Mississippi Rebels (20-13), March 14, 6:30 pm (PDT)/ESPNU:
In our final NIT first round match-up we’ve got a 20-13 Missouri Valley versus at a 20-13 SEC team. The Redbirds lost in the Valley title game, Ole Miss fell in the semifinals of the SEC tourney in Atlanta. I deem this an even/interesting watch for anyone who tunes in. The pick: Mississippi