National Invitation Tournament: Team-by-team breakdown of the 2018 field
Baylor Regional
The Baylor Bears earned one of the four No. 1 seeds of the tournament by going 18-14 overall and finishing sixth in the Big 12. The Bears are in the NIT for a few reasons. First, they only have 17 victories over Division I teams. The Bears also went 2-10 against ranked teams and 2-9 on the road. Their biggest wins came against Kansas and Texas Tech.
Baylor will host eighth-seeded Wagner. Louisville is the second seed and Middle Tennessee is third. Mississippi State, Nebraska, Vermont and Northern Kentucky round out the field.
1. Baylor: The Bears are a veteran team that plays sound defense and shares the basketball. Seniors Manu Lecomte and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. form a dangerous inside-outside duo.
2. Louisville (20-13): The Cardinals finished eighth in the ACC and then fell to No. 1 Virginia in the conference tournament quarterfinals (75-58). The Cards have lost five of their last seven games. While Louisville did not suffer a bad loss, the Cardinals biggest win came against Florida State.
Athletically gifted Deng Adel leads a talented, yet, inconsistent squad. Ray Spalding, Quentin Snider, VJ King and Anas Mahmoud are the team’s other quality players.
3. Middle Tennessee (24-7): The Blue Raiders are in the postseason for a fourth straight year. The Blue Raiders claimed their second straight C-USA regular season crown as they went 16-2 during conference play. But Middle Tennessee finished the regular season with consecutive losses, including a 71-68 overtime set back to Southern Miss in the conference tourney quarters.
Senior forward Nick King has been a terror in his only season in Murfreesboro. King has posted 10 double-doubles, averaging 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds for the season. Middle Tennessee ranks 28th in the country in scoring defense at 65.8 points a game.
4. Mississippi State (22-11): The Bulldogs went 9-10 during conference play, which includes a 62-59 loss to Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals. Miss State managed just two road wins in 10 contests.
Miss State is a well-balanced team that features eight players who average 19 minutes or more of playing time and produces at least six points a game. The Weatherspoon brothers, Quinndary and Nick, lead the way for the Bulldogs.
5. Nebraska (22-10): The Cornhuskers’ 22 victories are the most in the Tim Miles era. The Huskers finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten, tying for their highest finish in conference play under Miles, although they eliminated by Michigan in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Junior guard James Palmer, a tremendous scorer, is averaging 17.3 points a game to lead the way for Nebraska. The Huskers struggle to score, however, they are solid defensively.
6. Vermont (27-7): The Catamounts are a solid team that was upset by UMBC in the America East finals. Guard Trae Bell-Haynes and forward Anthony Lamb are extremely talented with the ability to play professionally, perhaps in the NBA or G-League.
7. Northern Kentucky (22-7): The Norse earned its first ever Division I regular-season title by capturing the Horizon League crown. The Norse were prevented from reaching their second straight NCAA Tournament as they were upset by Cleveland State in the conference quarterfinals.
Junior forward Drew McDonald led NKU with 16.9 points and 8.9 rebounds. The Norse ranked in the top-100 in the nation in scoring, assists and scoring defense.
8. Wagner (23-9): The Seahawks are in the NIT for the second time in three years after winning the NEC regular season crown. The Seahawks, who fell to LIU Brooklyn in the conference tournament finals, have won five of their last seven.
Sophomore guard Blake Francis leads three players who are averaging at least 14 points and shooting 36.0% from beyond the arc. Francis has scored in double-figures in 29 of his 31 games, averages 17.1 points a game and shoots 40.1% from beyond the arc.