NIT 2014: previewing the first round matchups, KenPom rankings, TV times, reasons to watch

Scouting the NIT

There are still meaningful games to play for 32 teams that did not make the NCAA Tournament - a tournament to win, matchups to savor, chances to show out in front of the fans, chances to make plays that the coach will remember when crafting the plan for next year.

The 2014 NIT Tournament features a number of teams that felt they were snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, teams that faltered in their one-bid conference tournament, teams that didn't live up to expectations and teams just growing into their own.

You're here because you're a junkie and you want to know if your team is going to win the National Invitational Tournament, so you can spend the summer thinking that it will be a springboard to greater things next year.

You want to be informed with team's offensive ratings and tempo, you want to know what time the first-round games are on and you want to know which games you should actually sit down and watch. The Rumble has your guide right here.

NIT Teams, sortable table.

NIT Team	Seed	KPom Rk	Record	Conference	Yrs.	Won	Lost	Last Appearance	Bid Type
Arkansas	3	58	21-11	Southeastern	3	4	3	1997	At Large
Belmont	5	109	24-9	Ohio Valley	2		1	2004	Auto Bid
Boston University	7	125	24-10	Patriot	6		5	2005	Auto Bid
California	2	73	19-13	Pac-12	8	12	6	2011	At Large
Clemson	3	51	20-12	Atlantic Coast	15	15	14	2007	At Large
Davidson	7	118	20-12	Southern	6	3	5	2009	Auto Bid
Florida Gulf Coast	8	180	22-12	Atlantic Sun				First Appearance	Auto Bid
Florida St.	1	41	19-13	Atlantic Coast	9	10	8	2013	At Large
Georgetown	4	54	17-14	Big East	12	14	12	2009	At Large
Georgia	2	75	19-13	Southeastern	12	11	11	2007	At Large
Georgia St.	6	60	25-8	Sun Belt	2		1	2002	Auto Bid
Green Bay	4	61	24-6	Horizon	3	1	2	1992	Auto Bid
High Point	8	248	16-14	Big South				First Appearance	Auto Bid
Illinois	2	56	19-14	Big Ten	5	7	4	2010	At Large
Indiana St.	6	104	23-10	Missouri Valley	4	1	3	2013	At Large
Iona	6	76	22-10	Metro Atlantic	5	1	4	1997	Auto Bid
Louisiana Tech	3	35	27-7	Conference USA	7	8	7	2013	Auto Bid
LSU	5	69	19-13	Southeastern	7	3	7	2012	At Large
Minnesota	1	57	20-13	Big Ten	15	28	13	2012	At Large
Missouri	2	77	22-11	Southeastern	8	1	7	2005	At Large
Robert Morris	8	186	21-13	Northeast	3	1	2	2013	Auto Bid
Saint Mary's	4	79	22-11	West Coast	3	2	2	2011	At Large
San Francisco	4	81	21-11	West Coast	6	6	4	2005	At Large
SMU	1	32	23-9	AAC	3	2	4	2000	At Large
Southern Miss	3	63	27-6	Conference USA	10	8	8	2013	At Large
St. John's	1	38	20-12	Big East	30	46	27	2013	At Large
Toledo	6	108	27-6	Mid-American	8	5	8	2007	At Large
UC Irvine	8	86	23-11	Big West	5	2	4	2002	Auto Bid
Utah	5	36	21-11	Pac-12	12	11	10	2001	At Large
Utah Valley	7	198	20-11	Western Athletic				First Appearance	Auto Bid
Vermont	7	70	22-10	America East	3		2	2011	Auto Bid
West Virginia	5	65	17-15	Big 12	16	21	15	2007	At Large

NIT Matchups by time, with location and reasons to watch

Guide:

KPom Rk - rank in Ken Pomeroy's rankings.

AdO - offense, in points per 100 possessions, adjusted by strength of schedule.

AdjD - defense, in points per 100 possessions, adjusted by strength of schedule.

AORk - National rank, adjusted offense; ADRk - National rank, adjusted defense.

AdjT - Tempo/ number of possessions per game, adjusted to the pace of opponents.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
FGCU at Florida St.	Donald L. Tucker Center (Tallahassee, FL)	Tuesday, March 18 7:00 pm	ESPN2

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
1	Florida State	Florida State Bracket	At Large	41	111.6	98.4	46	56	66.6
8	Florida Gulf Coast	Florida State Bracket	Auto Bid	180	100.2	101.8	255	110	68.3

Why Watch?

FSU is the 4th largest team (minutes-weighted) in the country. They get to the line a bunch, and shoot the three well. And they have a bunch of natural talent; could this be the tournament where the Seminoles come together? FSU lost a number of close games - to Florida, to Michigan, to North Carolina... and to Miami and Clemson. Whoops. You remember Dunk City! Bernard Thompson and Chase Fieler and Brett Comer all return for FGCU, joined by Marquette transfer Jamail Jones. Comer is an adventurous passer, Fieler can still finish. And Bernard Thompson was nice to my mom once. (True story.)

Why pick another game?

FSU turns the ball over a LOT; no bad losses, no great in-conference wins = middling major conference team that you might not want to watch. And have you SEEN a FSU game? They're like a chronicle of bad ideas with a basketball. Last year's Dunk City gimmick is less good with a new coach; they don't crash the glass as effectively, and the surprise factor is gone.

This game is probably going to be fantastic, just because I can't find a reason to be excited. So flip by, it could be fun.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
West Virginia at Georgetown	Verizon Center (Washington, D.C.)	Tuesday, March 18 7:00 pm	ESPN

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
4	Georgetown	Florida State Bracket	At Large	54	111.4	100.2	51	77	64.4
5	West Virginia	Florida State Bracket	At Large	65	114.3	104	23	153	68.1

Why watch?

Size, experience and physicality mark the Hoyas, who inexplicably are in the middle of the Big East in most offensive categories and lower on defense. D`Vauntes Smith-Rivera's hot outings are worth a watch, and the Hoyas should be better than they have been; the selection committee said they were part of the first four teams left out (why a four seed then? Was the DePaul loss THAT bad?). On the Mountaineers side, Bob Huggins gets to return to Georgetown. It should be lively if only for that. Juwan Staten is a dynamic guard many of us don't get to see; the team is extremely young and could use this tournament as a springboard.

Why pick another game?

All this experience but a lot of good role players who can't carry the Hoyas on their backs. Often struggled to put up points, inconsistent frontcourt contributions. Who wants to see an over-physical, old-style Big East game with uncalled fouls and hits that make you wince? Plus, Bob Huggins yelling at poor young kids kinda makes you sad sometimes, doesn't it?

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Robert Morris at St. John's	Carnesecca Arena (Queens, NY)	Tuesday, March 18 7:00 pm	ESPNU

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
1	St. John's	St. John's Bracket	At Large	38	107.6	94.5	115	21	68.1
8	Robert Morris	St. John's Bracket	Auto Bid	186	103.7	105.7	189	194	65.3

Why watch?

Because you read this blog? The athletic Johnnies are a thrill to watch when they're running and blocking shots, where they excel. They could make noise next year, or not - either way, they will be entertaining with freshman Rysheed Jordan, just scratching surface of his potential. Meanwhile, after a number of players quit the team, RMU reinvented itself with a zone defense and the strong scoring of Karvel Anderson.

Why pick another a game?

The athletic Johnnies can be terrible to watch when the defense isn’t generating points - long jumpers, isolation plays, and sometimes poor rebounding. And the Colonials, they have a very limited bench and have won a number of very close games to get to this point. (Their KenPom "Luck" rank = 10.); chances are you are going to see the good version of St. John's, so it should be watchable.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Belmont at Green Bay	Resch Center (Green Bay, WI)	Tuesday, March 18 8:15 pm	ESPN3

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
4	Green Bay	St. John's Bracket	Auto Bid	61	108.1	97.8	101	52	66.7
5	Belmont	St. John's Bracket	Auto Bid	109	112.1	107.1	40	217	68.9

Why watch?

Dominant in conference, Wisconsin-Green Bay has a dynamic duo of Keifer Sykes and Alec Brown, a 7-foot senior with an outside touch and NBA interest. The Phoenix gave Virginia one of their six losses on the season, putting up points on one of the nation's stingiest defenses. On the other side, Rick Byrd's Belmont has made the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons. They play fluid offensive basketball and have a senior forward, J.J. Mann, who scores all over the court.

Why pick another a game?

The short bench doesn't do the Belmont Bruins many favors; neither does a defense that gambles for turnovers and can't grab defensive rebounds. I think this is going to be a great game.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
High Point at Minnesota	Williams Arena (Minneapois, MN)	Tuesday, March 18 8:15 pm	ESPN3

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
1	Minnesota	Minnesota Bracket	At Large	57	111.4	100.5	52	87	64.7
8	High Point	Minnesota Bracket	Auto Bid	248	104.8	111.6	169	305	64

Why watch?

Despite a losing record in the Big Ten, Richard Pitino - yes, Rick's son - has a tall + experienced team that has been opportunistic, beating Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin. The Gophers have lot of size, shot blocking and good offense. Plus the Barn is a unique venue; I want to go to there. High Point, led by do-everything sophomore forward John Brown - not the one who can drill through a mountain faster than a machine - the Panthers have a load of young talent that might be NCAA-ready next year.

Why pick another game?

The Golden Gophers of Minnesota have good players, not great ones; the Golden Gophers don't do a lot exceptionally well; a team where the talent and the coach's style might not always mesh. Against high-major teams, the Panthers lost by 35, 21, and 41. The 35 was to GEORGETOWN. Not a good look. Could be a sloppy blowout.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Davidson at Missouri	The Hearnes Center (Columbia, MO)	Tuesday, March 18 9:00 pm	ESPN2

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
2	Missouri	Minnesota Bracket	At Large	77	113.4	104.2	31	160	66.1
7	Davidson	Minnesota Bracket	Auto Bid	118	113	109.1	36	257	67.3

Why watch?

Frank Haith rides a trio of wings (Jabari Brown, Jordan Clarkson, Earnest Ross) who can slash and shoot. The team spends a lot of time at the free throw line; when they're on, they can score in bunches. Bob McKillop's well-coached Davidson team lost two games in conference. Each player is capable of shooting; and even better, they grab defensive rebounds. Davidson finished in the NCAA Tournament the previous two years, coming within a point of Marquette in last year's second round.

Which is to say, upset possibilities here?

Why pick another game?

Is it depressing to see fans on social media crush a team so badly that you get the feeling their own people would rather the Tigers just go home? When the team can't score, the games get clanktastic. (Maybe that should be on the "why watch" and the "get your popcord" categories.) The Davidson Wildcats' 4-10 start saw them take Ls from high, mid, and low majors. The defense was ineffective in the non-conference - but great in-conference So are they good? Or just in a beatable conference? Are they capable of an upset?

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Indiana St. at Arkansas	Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, AR)	Tuesday, March 18 9:00 pm	ESPN

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
3	Arkansas	SMU Bracket	At Large	58	109.3	98.7	82	58	72.6
6	Indiana St.	SMU Bracket	At Large	104	105.5	100.3	156	83	66.6

Why watch?

Mike Anderson is trying to bring the winning running style back to Arkansas. The running and pressure defense is back. The winning is a work in progress. For Indiana State, the Sycamores have a four-year player with NCAA Tournament experience in Jake Odum. This is the team that posed the greatest threat to Wichita State this season in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Why pick another game?

In a crucial game for NCAA hopes, the Arkansas Razorbacks DID lose to South Carolina. And there are a number of seniors who only see spot time; the future isn’t all the way here, and transition years for transition teams can be tough to watch. Indiana State is a poor three-point shooting team; the Sycamores are no sexy upset pick. The effort and experience are there, but the size and scoring are not willing.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Georgia St. at Clemson	Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson, SC)	Tuesday, March 18 9:00 pm	ESPNU

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
3	Clemson	St. John's Bracket	At Large	51	105.7	94.3	149	20	59.8
6	Georgia St.	St. John's Bracket	Auto Bid	60	113.9	102.8	26	132	65.4

Why watch?

Brad Brownell has his team playing hellacious defense without fouling; they almost beat Duke in the ACC Tournament. A lot of freshman and sophomore minutes, they could emerge next season. Ryan Harrow and RJ Hunter make a dynamic backcourt that is the best in the country at protecting the ball (12% of possessions end in a TO). They were excellent in conference and are good enough to make the NIT finals. I hate to promise anything, btut this game could be tremendous.

Why pick another game?

That offense, tho, Clemson. Bottom half of the ACC in all major offensive categories. Near-last in pace. In other words, boring as hell with the ball. Georgia State's rebounding is an affront to basketball humanity. Lafayette got 20 offensive rebounds and 8 second chance points to knock off top-seeded Panthers by 1 point. Rebounding counts. plus, the pace on this could be somewhere south of "molasses."

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Utah at St. Mary's	McKeon Pavilion (Moraga, CA)	Tuesday, March 18 11:00 pm	ESPN2

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
4	Saint Mary's	Minnesota Bracket	At Large	79	110.9	102.2	61	115	63.1
5	Utah	Minnesota Bracket	At Large	36	110.1	96.6	69	41	64.9

Why watch?

Brad Waldow is a forward in the vein of many recent St. Mary's greats - a master of all of the skills in the post. Steven Holt is not the Arrested Development character, he's a guard who never leaves the floor and can be deadly from the outside. Defensively solid, Larry Krystkowiak has a Pac-12 team with only one senior in the rotation. Be a basketball hipster and get on the Utah bandwagon before anyone else does.

Also, you don't want to go to bed yet. You're a hoops junkie.

Why pick another game (or just go to bed)?

A very experienced St. Mary's team misses an "it" factor, a player who pulls them over the hump. With a tough draw, they may be gone after tonight. Utah DID flop in the Pac-12 Tournament, scoring 39 points against tough Arizona. 39, though.

WEDNESDAY

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Boston U. at Illinois	Assembly Hall (Champaign, IL)	Wednesday, March 19 7:00 pm	ESPN2

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
2	Illinois	St. John's Bracket	At Large	56	104	93.7	181	15	62.6
7	Boston University	St. John's Bracket	Auto Bid	125	105	101.9	166	111	66.7

Why watch?

The Illini are a good defensive team that struggles to find what a "good shot" is. Bowling ball Rayvonte Rice works hard, should draw more fouls with his approach. Lots of young Chicagoland talent that DePaul wanted to bring in but whiffed on. BONUS: Illinois has to play on the road, scheduling problems. As we know from Robert Morris vs Kentucky last year, that's a recipe for a game that favors the underdog… so you want to get your popcorn and follow on Twitter to see if Illini fans have effigies waiting for their coach if he loses.

As for Boston University, tiny Maurice Watson is an excellent passer, averaging 7 assists per game and leading a squad that does a number of things well. He - and shooting guard John Papale - are sophomores, so you can say you knew them way back when. They beat Maryland and took Harvard to overtime.

Why pick another game?

Seriously, Illinois' guards take shots that will blow your mind, and not in the Upworthy kind of way. BU scored 36 points in a home loss to American. By the numbers, they seem happy to take jump shots, and we all know that can go really wrong in a real hurry.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Iona at La. Tech	Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, LA)	Wednesday, March 19 7:30 pm	ESPN3

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
3	Louisiana Tech	Florida State Bracket	Auto Bid	35	108.7	95.2	92	23	70.6
6	Iona	Florida State Bracket	Auto Bid	76	117.5	108	9	235	69.8

Why watch?

Louisiana Tech have veteran old souls, fast pace, defensive acumen, a coach in former Andy Kennedy assistant Michael White who might be moving up the ranks soon. Never count out a 27-win team with experience and who play fast. Speaking of fast - Iona is EXCITING! So much offensive talent, spacing, shooting and Rosedale's Mike Poole (I have to get in a plug there). David Laury is a true beast in the paint, and shooting Sean Armand and A.J. English are sharp shooters who can get their own shot attempts.

Why pick another game?

Louisiana Tech's three-point shooting seems to be a mix of bad ideas and lack of accuracy for the Bulldogs. They lose when their defense lets them down. On the other side, Iona's defense is SO BAD. What's a rebound? Something the Gaels don't get!

If you like excitement and points, you should make an appointment to watch this game.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Vermont at Georgia	Stegeman Coliseum (Athens, GA)	Wednesday, March 19 8:00 pm	ESPNU

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
2	Georgia	Florida State Bracket	At Large	75	107.9	99.2	107	65	64.2
7	Vermont	Florida State Bracket	Auto Bid	70	109	99.8	87	72	64

Why watch?

Mark Fox' teams always play hard. This Georgia Bulldog team rebounds well but took some time to come together, needing to recover from a 1-5 start at the beginning of the season. There are good sophomores in Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines. Vermont is another very good team that could have knocked off a high-major that got bounced in a conference tournament. Look for a vengeful set of Catamounts, led by all-name teamer Sandro Carissimo. Their bigs get to the line often.

Why pick another game?

Offensively, the Bulldogs are a numbing, tough watch. With the right draw, they can be that gritty game you watch. Vermont is a team that doesn't take many threes; given their lack of size, they'll need to in this tournament. Maybe this isn’t the team to hitch a wagon to?

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Toledo at So. Miss	Reed Green Coliseum (Hattiesburg, MS)	Wednesday, March 19 8:30 pm	ESPN3

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
3	Southern Miss	Minnesota Bracket	At Large	63	110.8	100.5	62	88	64.6
6	Toledo	Minnesota Bracket	At Large	108	114.6	109.3	21	262	68.4

Why watch?

The other Golden Eagles (of Southern Mississppi) are very mature (21st in experience) and salty about not getting to the NCAA Tournament despite 27 wins. This group got to the 3rd round of the NIT Tourney last year; they may accept their fate and play hard enough to win the damn thing. But they're facing Toledo. Never discount a team with 27 wins that started the season 12-0. The Rockets get to show what their excellent offense can do against better competition.

Why pick another game?

The Golden Eagles played a crappy schedule - TWO non-Div 1 teams, DePaul, and a pair of strong mid-majors. There's a reason they didn't get to the Tournament, and it's hard to know just how good this team really is. Speaking of bad schedules, Toledo's conference is 13th in KenPom's conference strength (just above Conference USA). The bad thing about playing in a low-rated conference is that bad losses to directional state schools look terrible; Toledo had five of those losses. Western Michigan, in particular, gave them fits, keeping them from the NCAA Tournament. The defense gave up over 90 points in regulation twice (in wins).

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
UC Irvine at SMU	Moody Coliseum (Dallas, TX)	Wednesday, March 19 9:00 pm	ESPN2

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
1	SMU	SMU Bracket	At Large	32	108.3	93.5	96	12	66.5
8	UC Irvine	SMU Bracket	Auto Bid	86	102.8	95.6	206	26	63.9

Why watch?

Young + developing. Be a college basketball hipster. And you love watching Larry Brown get salty on the sidelines. Especially when facing a 7'6" center (Mamadou Ndiaye). You want to see a 7'6" center. You know you do. The Anteaters (!) sport a wealth of young talent - this will be a team to keep track of in the Big West.

Why pick another game?

With a chance at the NCAA Tournament, SMU lost to Houston; losses to 12 -win South Florida and 9-win Temple also hurt, and sometimes the team just hands the ball to the opponent. There's a reason they couldn't bust through to the NCAA Tournament. UC Irvine is not great with the ball; SMU will snatch the ball tonight. And who wants to see a 7'6" player labor to chase speedy guards who stole the ball? That's not fun.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
LSU at San Fran.	War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco, CA)	Wednesday, March 19 10:00 pm	ESPNU

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
4	San Francisco	SMU Bracket	At Large	81	111.8	103.5	45	145	65.4
5	LSU	SMU Bracket	At Large	69	109.1	99.6	86	70	70.2

Why watch?

After booting lead guard Cody Doolin, the San Francisco Dons recovered nicely, finishing with 21 wins and not picking up any bad losses in the West Coast Conference. Cole Dickerson is a solid, mobile forward and Avry Holmes can get buckets - and hand out assists. LSU's big men Johnny O'Bryant, Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin are fun to watch. Mickey has blocked over 100 shots. And Bill Walton is on the call for ESPN.

Why pick another game (or just go to bed)?

The Dons don’t force turnovers; when they aren't getting stops, they don't have defensive answers. As for LSU, it's not fun to watch a team getting strafed from beyond the arc, or struggle to get into their offense. Other than that, I recommend this game.

Matchup	Location	Time/ Date	TV
Utah Valley at California	Haas Pavilion (Berkeley, CA)	Wednesday, March 19 10:30 pm	ESPN3

Seed	Team	Quadrant	Bid Type	KPom Rk	AdjO	AdjD	AORk	ADRk	AdjT
2	California	SMU Bracket	At Large	73	109.3	100.2	83	80	66.3
7	Utah Valley	SMU Bracket	Auto Bid	198	102.6	105.4	209	181	62.3

Why watch?

California is a well-coached team with a solid scorer in Justin Cobbs. They're long and while not Pac-12 elite, they are competitive. The school you've never heard of (Utah Valley. You've heard of Cal.) that plays a bunch of other schools you were pretty sure were made-up jokes in movies was close to an actual NCAA bid. This is the first season the Utah Valley Wolverines are playing in a conference with an auto-bid, so kudos to them. Did you know the Western Athletic Conference was still alive? Did you know only Utah Valley + New Mexico State had winning records against Division I teams? As for their game, Utah Valley have a low turnover rate and a foul-drawing guard named Holton Hunsacker.

Why pick another game (or just go to bed)?

On the bubble for a long time, the Golden Bears lost 5 of 7 after beating Arizona; this isn't a team on an upswing. Or are they? And I'm pretty sure Utah Valley State is an NCAA invention.

Just go to bed.