National Invitation Tournament: Team-by-team breakdown of the 2018 field
USC Regional
Top-seeded USC Trojans were left out of the “Big Dance” despite finishing second in the Pac-10 in the regular season and the conference tournament finals. But the Trojans (23-11) did not have a signature win and was only 0-3 against ranked teams.
USC opens the NIT at home against eighth-seeded UNC Asheville. Oklahoma State, Stanford, Western Kentucky, Boston College, BYU and Florida Gulf Coast round out the field.
1. USC: The Trojans have been playing good ball lately, winning six of eight with five of the victories by double-digits. The Trojans are strong up front and very experienced.
Six-foot-11 junior forward Chimezie Metu leads the way with 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game. Junior forward Bennie Boatwright can score inside and out while senior point guard Jordan McLaughlin is one of the point guards in the nation.
2. Oklahoma State (19-14): The Cowboys were not helped by their non-conference schedule, which was not terrible, as they only went 1-2 against ranked teams. The ‘Boys, who finished sixth in the Big 12 during the regular season and eliminated in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, did have some big conference victories. OSU defeated Oklahoma (twice), Kansas (twice) and WVU.
Guards Jeffrey Carroll and Kendall Smith lead the way. OSU ranks in the top-100 in the nation in scoring and rebounding.
3. Stanford (18-15): The Cardinal finished tied for third in the Pac-12 and were defeated by UCLA in the conference quarterfinals.
Junior forward Reid Travis leads a balanced squad that has eight players averaging at least four points and six players grabbing three or more boards. Travis, who is averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, has produced seven double-doubles in his last nine games.
4. Western Kentucky (24-10): The Hilltoppers finished third in C-USA and reached the finals of the conference tournament. Forward Justin Jackson leads five players in double-figures with 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds.
5. Boston College (19-15): The Eagles are in the postseason for the first time since 2011. The Eagles finished 12th in the ACC during the regular season and fell to Clemson in the quarterfinals. Guards Jerome Robinson (20.9 ppg) and Ky Bowman (17.6 PPG) are the catalysts.
6. BYU (24-10): The Cougars are in the NIT for the third straight season. They finished third in the WCC and reached the conference tournament finals after knocking off Saint Mary’s in the semis. Yoeli Childs and Elijah Bryant are combining for nearly 36 points and 15 caroms.
7. Florida Gulf Coast (23-11): The Eagles are making their sixth straight postseason appearance. The Atlantic Sun regular season title was its third in program history. Brandon Goodwin and Zach Johnson form a dangerous backcourt.
8. UNC Asheville (21-12): The Bulldogs won their second straight Big South regular-season crown. They were knocked out of conference tournament by Liberty in the conference semifinals. Guards Ahmed Thomas and Macio Teague both are scoring over 16 points a contest.