If you are getting into the college basketball spirit as March comes to a close, it pays to remember that the NCAA tournament is not the only game in town. In fact, for years, it wasn’t even the most prestigious. The National Invitational Tournament, or NIT, is the longest running postseason collegiate basketball tournament, and the semifinals and finals are going to be taking place in New York City at Madison Square Garden to start off April. The semifinals, played back to back on April 2nd at 7 & 9pm, offer two exciting matchups, and the final, no matter the teams, looks to be entertaining as well.
The first game on the 2nd will feature two teams with solid wins on their resume this season, (2) Baylor and (3) BYU. Baylor comes out of Region 1, having beaten seven seed Long Beach State in the first round, then three seed Arizona State. Their most recent win was over pesky four seeded Providence, a team that made it all the way to the quarter finals after beating Robert Morris. Robert Morris, an 8 seed, managed to upset overall number one in the tournament Kentucky in the first round. BYU has had a good run as well, with a number of good wins, but none better than win over Region 2 one-seed, Southern Mississippi. Baylor had a tough schedule this year in the Big-12, with close loses to NCAA tournament teams like Kansas State and Oklahoma State, along with a late season win over Kansas, a team currently preparing to play in the Sweet 16. BYU is coming out of the West Coast Conference that also calls St. Mary’s and Gonzaga members, two teams that made it to the NCAA tournament. No doubt the matchup between Baylor and BYU at the neutral site of Madison Square Garden promises to be a good one.
In the next half of the semifinal double-header, two-seed Maryland will be taking on number three seeded Iowa. Both teams from power conferences, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big Ten (B1G) respectively, each thought they might squeak into the NCAA tournament field with an at large bid. Ultimately, the committee left each on the bubble, and now they are both proving their cases for improved seasons next year. Maryland had two wins over ACC-rival Duke, a team that earned a two seed in the NCAA tourney, and Iowa came very close but couldn’t close it out on the road against the rest of their B1G competition. In its quarterfinal matchup, Iowa managed to win on the road at the one-seeded University of Virginia, ending the Cavaliers 19-game winning streak. Maryland is coming off of a good win at 1-seeded Alabama, and that served as a breakout game for their 7’1” center Alex Len. Expect a good game between two teams on hot streaks, and looking to set a precedent for success next season, starting by winning the NIT.
Who will we see in the final? Some experts are predicting Maryland to win it all, but only time will tell. No matter what, the result, the semifinals and final game of the NIT at MSG offer a great college basketball show. If you are looking for a way to arrive there, or make it home, safely and comfortably, look no further than Gotham Limousine.