Marquette Basketball: 5 reasons to be excited for an NIT run
By Brian Foley
Deep field
While the supposedly strong bubble may have prevented Marquette from reaching the NCAA tournament, it does make for an intriguing and talented NIT field.
In round one, Marquette will host Harvard (18-13, 12-2), the Ivy League regular season champion, also led by a Coach K protégé, Tommy Amaker. Harvard lost by three to Penn in the Ivy League tournament final.
Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State are the other top teams in MU’s region. The Fighting Irish were the first team out of the tournament and have preseason All-American Bonzie Colson back in the lineup. Penn State beat NCAA No. 5 seed Ohio State three times this season. The Ducks have a win over Arizona on its ledger. A trip to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden will not come easy for Marquette.
Elsewhere in the bracket are No. 1 seeds Baylor, St. Mary’s, and USC, who combined to win 69 games this year. Oklahoma State is a No. 2 seed that knocked off Kansas twice in Big 12 play. Middle Tennessee was bumped down to an NIT No. 3 seed but would have been a trendy NCAA pick had they not been bounced in the Conference USA tournament. Louisville, Western Kentucky, and BYU and are also capable of making runs to MSG.
A few wins against this competition would be a nice cap on the season for Marquette, but it will be easier said than done.