I’m sure that prior to tonight I’d never taken the time to watch the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) title game.
Dayton beat defending national champion North Carolina by 11 points, and since I didn’t have a dog in the fight, the game was about as exciting as watching two wolf spiders battle it out in the bottom of a mason jar.
This is not to say that the game wasn’t thought provoking. First, you’re left wondering how either team would have faired in the NCAA tourney. Would the Flyers or the Tar Heels made it to the Sweet 16, the Elite 8 round or beyond? Or would they have been eliminated early on by a team that would have dominated the NIT field but couldn’t make the Final Four themselves?
I found myself pulling for Dayton for whatever reason. They were actually a No. 2 seed, while North Carolina was a No. 3 seed, but it still felt like pulling for the underdog. Nothing against the Tar Heels, but they have a packed trophy case, and it wouldn’t kill them to have little ol’ Dayton win the NIT. Let’s face it. North Carolina will likely rebound, return to the NCAA tourney some day and will probably bring home another national title. Can we say the same for Dayton?
If Carolina had won the NIT tonight, they would have made history in that they would have been the first team ever to win the NCAA title one season and follow that with an NIT title the next.
In any case, an NIT championship has to be a decent way to end the season, but in reality it’s just a consolation prize and means very little. If you don’t think so then ask yourself if you remember who won last year’s NIT.
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