Georgia and Bama settle for NIT bids
The Georgia Bulldogs are continuing their basketball season in a familiar tournament against a familiar foe.
Georgia was invited Sunday evening to its third National Invitation Tournament in four years, with the Bulldogs (19-14) scheduled to face Belmont (22-6) on Wednesday night inside Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs defeated the Bruins 93-84 before a Stegeman crowd of 2,965 in the first round of last year’s NIT before losing at Saint Mary’s in the second round.
“Obviously our team was disappointed that they didn’t make the NCAA tournament,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said Sunday night. “At the same time, they were given the privilege to continue their season and play in the NIT, which has been a very prestigious event. We will play a very good Belmont team, and if I recall, they will have just about everybody back from last year.
“It will be a great challenge for our team.”
Georgia is seeded second in the eight-team region headed by Syracuse. Ole Miss is also in that region, with the fifth-seeded Rebels (20-13) traveling to fourth-seeded Monmouth (27-6) on Tuesday night.
The Southeastern Conference will have three representatives in the 32-team NIT in addition to the five invitees (Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas and Vanderbilt) to the 68-team NCAA tournament field. Alabama is seeded third in the NIT region headed by Iowa, with the Crimson Tide (1914) set to host sixth-seeded Richmond (20-12) on Tuesday night at 9:15.
Alabama’s NIT opener will be televised by ESPN2, but the Georgia and Ole Miss games that tip off at 7 can be seen only on ESPN3 (online).
The Crimson Tide have the potential to face Clemson in the second round, with those two schools having decided the past two national championships in football. A Georgia triumph not only would clinch a fourth consecutive 20-win season but a date against the winner of Tuesday night’s game in Atlanta between Indiana (18-15) and Georgia Tech (17-15).
Georgia routed Georgia Tech 60-43 in Atlanta on Dec. 20.
“I hope our team is looking at one thing only, and that’s Belmont, because they have a terrific team,” Fox said. “Our group is not able to see past the next game — at least they better not. The teams in this tournament are all accomplished.”
Syracuse, California, Illinois State and Iowa are the four No. 1 seeds in the NIT, which means they were the first four teams left out of the NCAA tournament. Georgia was picked before the season to finish fourth in an SEC that produced just three NCAA bids last year, and the Bulldogs spent virtually this entire season on the NCAA bubble.
Georgia’s position of 52nd in the Rating Percentage Index is the highest of any power conference program in the NIT, but the Bulldogs were just 1-10 against teams in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs went 0-7 against the SEC trio of Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina.
“I think every team is ahead of another one in a certain area, but it’s a moving target,” Fox said. “Top-50 wins was an area where we were deficient this year. You try to check all the boxes and hope you get in there, and obviously we didn’t check them all.
“All bubble teams have a wart somewhere.”