No mid-majors left in the NCAA Tournament? No problem. We still have men’s mid-major postseason action in a different form as the National Invitation Tournament has blessed us with a final eight that includes seven mid-major squads.
As we look into the quarterfinals starting Tuesday, let’s preview all of the matchups headed into the final round of host sites by looking into how they got here:
The Auburn Bracket: Auburn vs. Nevada
The Wolf Pack have but one job, give us the mid-major Final Four that we so desire. Steve Alford’s team has found its way through two high-quality opponents so far, taking down Murray State in the first round before ending the season of one of mid-major basketball’s most highly-anticipated teams in Liberty. This team is playing its best form of basketball right now, and with the SEC’s Tigers on deck for a road matchup in the state of Alabama, it will be up to Corey Camper and crew to bring their home-court advantage with them. So far, the Wolf Pack have sported the second-highest attendance of all of the teams in the NIT up to this point.
For this matchup, it will be up to the front court to bring the heat for Nevada, with both teams coming into this one sporting some of the more talented backcourts in the field. Elijah Price vs. KeShawn Murphy looks to be a highly important matchup, with the winner inside seeming like the victor of this likely chess match between two very similar squads. If the Wolfpack can win the interior battle while also limiting touches to Auburn star Keyshawn Hall, they should have an easy time dismantling the second team out of the NCAA Tournament field.
The Wake Forest Bracket: Illinois State vs. Dayton
With the Flyers giving up their home arena to the NCAA for its use in the First Four, Dayton has been unable to have a home-court advantage for now its second year in a row for the first two games of the NIT, but now, with UD Arena ready to host its fans once again, and with Dayton on the brink of a trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse, the time is now for the Flyers to take their first postseason home-court advantage. What looked to be a lost season headed into the conference tournament with zero at-large hopes, has now given Anthony Grant’s team life after barely losing in the A10 finale. Two blowouts down into the postseason, and they face an opponent coming off a huge win against a power-conference opponent.
Illinois State has looks streaky all season, with stints of true greatness peaking through the cracks of a poor-at-times offense that has never found a true identity. The Redbirds have found success across the board in their past two games with Chase Walker finally becoming the leader that they always needed him to be. This matchup with the Flyers may be their toughest one yet, and it won’t just take another hot shooting night to send the Flyers crashing down.
The New Mexico Bracket: New Mexico vs. Saint Joseph’s
New Mexico comes into this matchup as the favorite to win the NIT after handily dealing with both Sam Houston and George Washington in the opening rounds. Eric Olen’s team led by a healthy balance of freshmen and seniors comes into a bout against a Saint Jospeh’s team that remains alive following a thrilling win over California.
The Hawks, down 19 at one point against the Golden Bears, found a way to keep their season alive with a one-point win. Their reward? A trip to the most difficult place to play in mid-major basketball. The Pit has been packed out for the entirety of the NIT, boasting the largest attendance in the tournament. It looks to be an uphill battle for Steve Donahue’s bunch of they want to be making a trip to Indy next week.
The Tulsa Bracket: Tulsa vs. Wichita State
The Shocker fans will be making a trip back to the state of Oklahoma after routing Oklahoma State this past weekend in Stillwater for a American Conference tournament semifinal rematch in Tulsa. The last time these two faced off, Wichita State punched its ticket to the conference finals where they would eventually fall to the South Florida Bulls.
The main story for Tulsa has been the absence of leading scorer David Green for the entirety of the this tournament. He tweaked his wrist in the conference tournament and has been out ever since. Stepping up in a big way, though, have been Ade Popoola and Tyler Behrend, who have been excellent in his place.
On the Shocker side, the key for this one has to be getting Kenyon Giles open shots early. An 8-for-16 performance from beyond the arc of the star was what propelled WSU to its big win over Oklahoma State. If he can find a way to keep that going just a few miles down the road, his team would be at a large advantage. Additionally, it will be key for the Shockers to exploit the lack of offensive firepower down low if Green is out once again. If they can guard up on the Golden Hurricane shooters, it forces Tulsa to play in an uncomfortable position.
