NIT Season Tip-Off Men's Basketball Breakdown
The NIT Season Tip-Off is yet again one of the premiere early season tournaments in college basketball. This year Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Stanford and Oklahoma State are the host sites, with the winners advancing to Madison Square Garden on November 23rd and 24th.
North Region
Syracuse has the easiest road to New York. And once there, they will likely be the favorites as well. The Orange start off on November 14th hosting Manhattan. The next day they, assuming they win, play the winner of the Albany and Brown matchup. It is hard to see Syracuse not advancing out of that group.
East Region
Virginia Tech may not have such an easy road. If history has taught us anything, the Hokies better start thinking about the bubble right now. A probable second round game against George Mason could prove to be a bubble buster by March. The Patriots have some rebuilding to do and may struggle a bit early, but they should be right in the mix for a Colonial title. If that is the case, Virginia Tech would love to have a win over one of the top CAA teams come Selection Sunday. The Hokies start off the tournament hosting Monmouth and George Mason plays FIU.
West Region
Top to bottom, the West is the best. Fresno State and SMU are not expected to have great squads this year, but they do play in some good conferences. The favorites to reach the regional finals are host Stanford and Colorado State. Stanford may not be anything special this year, but they could change that perception with a nice run. However, Colorado State is the interesting team to watch in this group. The Rams have a little rebuilding to do in the frontcourt, and that will be an issue against Stanford, but this is a program moving in the right direction under Coach Tim Miles.
Midwest Region
The state of Oklahoma should be excited about the probable early season matchup between Oklahoma State and Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles return all five starters from a year ago and Michael Craion, who missed last season with an injury but was a starter back in 2009-2010. The ORU frontcourt is deep and talented and could outplay the thin OSU frontcourt. The play of super freshman LeBryan Nash could be the difference maker for the Cowboys.
Men's Basketball Games of the Week and Tournament Breakdowns
