Regular season champions get screwed by the NCAA

Quote:For the 2024 NIT, conference regular season champions that do not win their conference tournament or are not otherwise selected to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will not receive an automatic bid to the NIT. Instead, the NIT will guarantee two teams (based on the NET rankings) from each of six conferences (Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern). The top two teams in the NET rankings not qualifying for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament from each conference, regardless of won-loss record, will be selected. Additionally, the 12 teams automatically selected will be guaranteed the opportunity to host a game in the first round of the NIT.

Once the 12 automatic qualifying schools have been selected, the NIT Committee will select the 20 best teams available to complete the tournament’s 32-team field. Based on the NIT Committee’s evaluation, the best four teams of the 20 at-large teams selected will complete the 16 first round hosts, with deference given to the “first four teams out” of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, as determined by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball. Additional teams from the six conferences with AQs are eligible to be selected as at-large teams and can be selected as hosts.

“The postseason college basketball landscape is becoming more competitive for teams that don’t qualify for March Madness,” said Dan Gavitt, NIT Board Chair and NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball. “The change to the selection process for the 2024 NIT is a necessary effort to evolve this historic tournament in a dynamic event marketplace.”

In addition to the NIT’s change in selections format, the NIT Board and NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee have agreed to use experimental rules during the 2024 NIT. In each NIT game, the free throw lane will be widened from 12 feet to 16 feet, consistent with the width used by the NBA and FIBA. NIT games also will continue to use the 2023 NIT modified timeout format for the second half of games, which eliminates the second-half floating media timeout by making it one of five media breaks. Second half media timeouts will occur on the first stoppage of play following the 17-, 14-, 8- and 4- minute marks.

The 2024 championship will be the 86th NIT. Selections, pairings and the bracket will be announced March 17, with games beginning Tuesday, March 19. The NIT semifinals and championship will be played April 2 and 4 at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. All NIT games can be found exclusively on ESPN platforms. For more information on the championship visit nit.org.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men...ntal-rules

(10-27-2023 02:02 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  Instead, the NIT will guarantee two teams (based on the NET rankings) from each of six conferences (Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern).

The fix is in. Disgusting.

So any AAC team selected will have to compete for one of the remaining 4 host slots. Thats BS.

Absolutely awful.

They aren't even trying to act like its a fair playing field anymore

And WTF including the PAC ? They only have two teams! A two team league with a guaranteed spot in the NCAA and 2 in the NIT lol

(10-27-2023 02:30 PM)Stickboy46 Wrote:  They aren't even trying to act like its a fair playing field anymore

And WTF including the PAC ? They only have two teams! A two team league with a guaranteed spot in the NCAA and 2 in the NIT lol

This is last season for the PAC-12. I’m sure the NIT-status will be revoked for the March ’25 tournament

The new rules are called "Screw 27 conferences and give 2 auto slots to each of our 6 favored conferences." What a bunch of crap.

(10-27-2023 03:40 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 02:30 PM)Stickboy46 Wrote:  They aren't even trying to act like its a fair playing field anymore

And WTF including the PAC ? They only have two teams! A two team league with a guaranteed spot in the NCAA and 2 in the NIT lol

This is last season for the PAC-12. I’m sure the NIT-status will be revoked for the March ’25 tournament

This is the NCAA are you SURE about that

I took a look at the makeup of both tournaments last season and the new process would have changed very little.

Of the top 90 NET ranked teams, only 8 didn't participate in either tournament. 2 of those 8 declined NIT bids (North Carolina and Dayton).

This new process would have 3 schools as auto-bids that didn't participate in the 2023 NIT (North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech)

Assuming the same at-large bid order and still including the Regular Season champs that fall within that top 90 threshold. There would be two additional changes to the at-large field.

Going strictly by Net Rankings

North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Dayton would be in. *
UC-Irvine, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, Alcorn State and Morehead State would be out.

* Others in the top 90 - Utah, Marshall, BYU and Wake Forest.

As far as hosting first round games. It looks like the changes would have likely resulted in 3 changes with North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech having the right to host, while UAB, Liberty and Sam Houston State would have become road teams.

(10-27-2023 03:52 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  I took a look at the makeup of both tournaments last season and the new process would have changed very little.

Of the top 90 NET ranked teams, only 8 didn't participate in either tournament. 2 of those 8 declined NIT bids (North Carolina and Dayton).

This new process would have 3 schools as auto-bids that didn't participate in the 2023 NIT (North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech)

Assuming the same at-large bid order and still including the Regular Season champs that fall within that top 90 threshold. There would be two additional changes to the at-large field.

Going strictly by Net Rankings

North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Dayton would be in. *
UC-Irvine, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, Alcorn State and Morehead State would be out.

* Others in the top 90 - Utah, Marshall, BYU and Wake Forest.

As far as hosting first round games. It looks like the changes would have likely resulted in 3 changes with North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech having the right to host, while UAB, Liberty and Sam Houston State would have become road teams.

It's not that the teams don't change that much. It's that they have legislated a permanent way to ensure those 6 conferences get preferential treatment in perpetuity.

(10-27-2023 03:57 PM)TripleA Wrote:  It's not that the teams don't change that much. It's that they have legislated a permanent way to ensure those 6 conferences get preferential treatment in perpetuity.

Exactly.

Sad that the Big East is formalized as a "Power 6" conference while we are not.

AAC basketball has never lived to its potential.

(10-27-2023 03:52 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  I took a look at the makeup of both tournaments last season and the new process would have changed very little.

Of the top 90 NET ranked teams, only 8 didn't participate in either tournament. 2 of those 8 declined NIT bids (North Carolina and Dayton).

This new process would have 3 schools as auto-bids that didn't participate in the 2023 NIT (North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech)

Assuming the same at-large bid order and still including the Regular Season champs that fall within that top 90 threshold. There would be two additional changes to the at-large field.

Going strictly by Net Rankings

North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Dayton would be in. *
UC-Irvine, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, Alcorn State and Morehead State would be out.

* Others in the top 90 - Utah, Marshall, BYU and Wake Forest.

As far as hosting first round games. It looks like the changes would have likely resulted in 3 changes with North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech having the right to host, while UAB, Liberty and Sam Houston State would have become road teams.

Regarding the bolded, that looks like a very positive swap-out to me.

(10-27-2023 04:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 03:52 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  I took a look at the makeup of both tournaments last season and the new process would have changed very little.

Of the top 90 NET ranked teams, only 8 didn't participate in either tournament. 2 of those 8 declined NIT bids (North Carolina and Dayton).

This new process would have 3 schools as auto-bids that didn't participate in the 2023 NIT (North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech)

Assuming the same at-large bid order and still including the Regular Season champs that fall within that top 90 threshold. There would be two additional changes to the at-large field.

Going strictly by Net Rankings

North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Dayton would be in. *
UC-Irvine, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, Alcorn State and Morehead State would be out.

* Others in the top 90 - Utah, Marshall, BYU and Wake Forest.

As far as hosting first round games. It looks like the changes would have likely resulted in 3 changes with North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech having the right to host, while UAB, Liberty and Sam Houston State would have become road teams.

Regarding the bolded, that looks like a very positive swap-out to me.

Not if you're looking for some type of fairness, or at least even-handed treatment, across all 33 conferences in the NCAA.

(10-27-2023 04:04 PM)msu35 Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 03:57 PM)TripleA Wrote:  It's not that the teams don't change that much. It's that they have legislated a permanent way to ensure those 6 conferences get preferential treatment in perpetuity.

Exactly.

Regardless of record is the big FU. They have perfected the NET rankings so the loops will close and even the worst teams in those conferences will be high ranked wins (even at 8-22) to beef up the resumes.

They are floating this here to see if they can get away with it at the NCAA Tourney. Bye bye to those little conferences auto bids, which eventually means bye bye to them as Division I. I expect football will similarly move to cut off others once this basketball run is successful and no one raises a stink.

(10-27-2023 04:26 PM)Foreverandever Wrote:  They are floating this here to see if they can get away with it at the NCAA Tourney.

I disagree with you plenty, but I completely agree with this. It's telling that the article's title contains "use of experimental rules." I'm hoping this change will trigger a massive push back, including lawsuits.

The Net...lol

The secret sausage nobodies allowed to know the ingredients. Gee, what could go wrong?

(10-27-2023 04:23 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 04:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 03:52 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  I took a look at the makeup of both tournaments last season and the new process would have changed very little.

Of the top 90 NET ranked teams, only 8 didn't participate in either tournament. 2 of those 8 declined NIT bids (North Carolina and Dayton).

This new process would have 3 schools as auto-bids that didn't participate in the 2023 NIT (North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech)

Assuming the same at-large bid order and still including the Regular Season champs that fall within that top 90 threshold. There would be two additional changes to the at-large field.

Going strictly by Net Rankings

North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Dayton would be in. *
UC-Irvine, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, Alcorn State and Morehead State would be out.

* Others in the top 90 - Utah, Marshall, BYU and Wake Forest.

As far as hosting first round games. It looks like the changes would have likely resulted in 3 changes with North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech having the right to host, while UAB, Liberty and Sam Houston State would have become road teams.

Regarding the bolded, that looks like a very positive swap-out to me.

Not if you're looking for some type of fairness, or at least even-handed treatment, across all 33 conferences in the NCAA.

Actually, I would prefer no autobids for anybody in the NIT. Just take the top teams that were left out of the NCAA, using some computer formula like NET, RPI, whatever. So in my ideal world, the P6 conferences would not have autobids, but neither would the champs of any other conferences.

But, the NIT has to make money, and the reality is it will probably make more money with teams like Ohio State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma in it than Morehead State, Eastern Washington and UC-Irvine.

(10-27-2023 06:53 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 04:23 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 04:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(10-27-2023 03:52 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  I took a look at the makeup of both tournaments last season and the new process would have changed very little.

Of the top 90 NET ranked teams, only 8 didn't participate in either tournament. 2 of those 8 declined NIT bids (North Carolina and Dayton).

This new process would have 3 schools as auto-bids that didn't participate in the 2023 NIT (North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech)

Assuming the same at-large bid order and still including the Regular Season champs that fall within that top 90 threshold. There would be two additional changes to the at-large field.

Going strictly by Net Rankings

North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Dayton would be in. *
UC-Irvine, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, Alcorn State and Morehead State would be out.

* Others in the top 90 - Utah, Marshall, BYU and Wake Forest.

As far as hosting first round games. It looks like the changes would have likely resulted in 3 changes with North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas Tech having the right to host, while UAB, Liberty and Sam Houston State would have become road teams.

Regarding the bolded, that looks like a very positive swap-out to me.

Not if you're looking for some type of fairness, or at least even-handed treatment, across all 33 conferences in the NCAA.

Actually, I would prefer no autobids for anybody in the NIT. Just take the top teams that were left out of the NCAA, using some computer formula like NET, RPI, whatever. So in my ideal world, the P6 conferences would not have autobids, but neither would the champs of any other conferences.

But, the NIT has to make money, and the reality is it will probably make more money with teams like Ohio State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma in it than Morehead State, Eastern Washington and UC-Irvine.

Quo, my man, you just can't help that P5 heart of yours, lol.

IMO, the charm of the NCAAT is a Morehead State upsetting an Ohio State.

(10-27-2023 07:45 PM)TripleA Wrote:  IMO, the charm of the NCAAT is a Morehead State upsetting an Ohio State.

Unfortunately, I suspect this is exactly what the NCAA wants to avoid. Considering the NCAA tournament is exclusively the NCAA's cash cow, they will do whatever is necessary to pump the ratings. Small market teams don't bring the eyeballs.