Illinifan533
- Normal, Illinois
A thought after tonight's NIT results.
Of the games that were played, the only major conference teams that won (barring a California comeback) were Illinois and Ole Miss, and Ole Miss only won by 8 against Monmouth despite putting up 91 points. The posters here are criticizing the coaches here, but you have to wonder if it's becoming more common for players of these larger schools to put in a half-a**ed effort in the NIT, especially if they have to deal with the disappointment of being one of the 4 teams that just missed the Big Dance. Just look at the poor effort that Illinois put into the NIT in 2015. Couple this with the idea that playing in any postseason tournament is a bigger deal for many mid-major schools, and the NIT, while it can be a disappointing consolation prize for schools that won their regular season conference title but failed to win the auto-bid, is still a chance for mid-majors to prove their worth against larger schools.
Of the games that were played, the only major conference teams that won (barring a California comeback) were Illinois and Ole Miss, and Ole Miss only won by 8 against Monmouth despite putting up 91 points. The posters here are criticizing the coaches here, but you have to wonder if it's becoming more common for players of these larger schools to put in a half-a**ed effort in the NIT, especially if they have to deal with the disappointment of being one of the 4 teams that just missed the Big Dance. Just look at the poor effort that Illinois put into the NIT in 2015. Couple this with the idea that playing in any postseason tournament is a bigger deal for many mid-major schools, and the NIT, while it can be a disappointing consolation prize for schools that won their regular season conference title but failed to win the auto-bid, is still a chance for mid-majors to prove their worth against larger schools.