<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">NEW YORK (AP) -- Texas Tech coach Bob Knight criticized the NCAA during videotaped testimony at an antitrust trial, contending the governing body wants to get rid of the NIT. His testimony was considered a key part of a case brought against the NCAA by five New York schools that sponsor the preseason and postseason National Invitation Tournament, which has long been eclipsed by the NCAA's championship event. The semifinals and final of the NIT are played annually at Madison Square Garden. ``I have felt as long as I have been in coaching that the NCAA has wanted to eliminate the NIT,'' Knight said in a deposition played in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Thursday. As for the NCAA, he added, ``it's a monopoly.'' Knight was the first of several coaches, college presidents, athletic directors and economists scheduled to testify before a jury of eight women and four men who will decide whether the NCAA has violated antitrust laws. The schools maintain that the NCAA violated the laws with a long-standing rule requiring schools to accept a bid to its postseason basketball tournament over a bid to all others. Knight, sitting in an office in a purple sweater and at times gulping from a large plastic cup, sparred with NCAA lawyer David Grand, who asked if the Hall of Fame coach had read the entire NCAA rules manual. ``I read ``War and Peace'' once. I don't need to read it again,'' he said, drawing chuckles from the jury and the judge at one point. ``I doubt there's a coach in existence that has read all the provisions for basketball in the NCAA manual.'' </div> Source
This would be terrible. I know that everyone really lives to see the national tourney, but come on. The NIT is important cuz it gives a chance to the bubble teams who get screwed out of a tourney bid cuz middle Alabama tech community college won the southwest polytech redneck confrence. The NIT is good because it lets teams on the rise get better, and gives departing seniors one last chance to play before their career is done. I really dont wanna see them get rid of the NIT.
Of course Bobby Knight is going to have a problem with the NCAA and David Grand after the way he was handled at Indiana. I don't necessarily think that teams should have the option of which tournament to go to, because I the last thing I want to have split champions. The way it is now is perfect. The NIT gives the smaller schools like Hofstra a chance to play postseason basketball, but the 65 team field is just exclusive enough to validate the regular season.
I'd hate to see the NCAA do this, because the NIT is usually enjoyable in my opinion. Last year the tourney championship was one heck of a game that had South Carolina beating Saint Josephs on a last second, so this tourney is more exciting than most think...
I remember watching some debate on ESPN about eliminating the NIT, but expanding March Madness to a higher number of teams. There would be a mini-tournament to determine the wildcard teams. I don't remember all the details, but it was an interesting solution. The mini-tournament would involve the conference tournaments, so there would be less bubble teams snubbed. EDIT - Found a blurb on a Dicky V. blog, it would be expanded to 80 teams to allow more Mid-Majors to make the Big Dance. Would you rather see the March Madness expanded or the NIT eliminated or leave it as is?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UKOwnstheSEC:</div><div class="quote_post">I'd hate to see the NCAA do this, because the NIT is usually enjoyable in my opinion. Last year the tourney championship was one heck of a game that had South Carolina beating Saint Josephs on a last second, so this tourney is more exciting than most think...</div> This year's NIT was surely one of the best in recent memory. I think that the college game would suffer without the NIT. Taking away the NIT would be like college football only playing the Orange, Sugar, Rose and Fiesta bowls; a lot of teams get left off. Arguments can be made that getting rid of the NIT would streamline the college postseason, ensure that only the truly great teams get into the postseason. But if you ask me, it'd also make the postseason more dull, and it's important to let every team get a chance to go out there and compete as much as they can. I enjoy the NIT every year, and I think it would really be too bad if it was taken away.
Didn't the NIT used to be the more credible title at one point? It's a part of NCAA basketball history, and makes no sense for them to eliminate it.
The NIT means so much to some teams it would be bad to see it go. And making the field 80 teams is something I really wouldn't see go down. 80 teams means March Madness would have to end sometime in late April, which would mean we would have to change the name to "April Madness" which isn't happening. Also going in with 80 teams would make it less valuable to make the NCAA tourny. Going into the season, some teams have goals to reach the NIT and to take that away would be silly.
I got two views on this subject. On one hand it gives the teams who got snubbed a chance to prove what they got namely St. Joes, Memphis, etc this season. However, at the same time what is it worth celebrating when you win popping the bottle of champagne when your not even the best team in the country, and in fact are ranked being dozens of teams either way. Bryant from St. Joes last season said that he would rather go deep into the NIT then get into the NCAA tournament and get knocked out early. I think that is why they are considering eliminating it teams are taking a competition that is really a tournament for teams that got snubbed and trying to compare it to the main attraction of the NCAA tourney.
