3. NIT-wits

The start of the college basketball season is less than a week away, but a decision about its end was made last week, unfortunately, with little fanfare.

The National Invitational Tournament, an event steeped in history that now plays second fiddle to the NCAA Tournament, changed its format. In the past, the NIT gave automatic berths to regular-season champs of Division I's 33 conferences which didn't win their conference tournament (and thus go to the NCAA tourney). That's out.

Instead, the event will give spots to the two best remaining teams in each of basketball's six “power” conferences — no matter their record or metrics. Last season, that would have included 16-19 Ohio State and 16-17 Florida, plus three teams that finished with .500

records and five teams with NET metrics above 70.

The power-conference entrants also will be seeded teams with guaranteed home games in the opening round, and likely longer. The rest of the 32-team bracket will be backfilled from the other 27 conferences, and only four get home games.

It is a concerted effort to get more “name” schools deeper into the tournament, and by extension draw larger TV viewership for a struggling entity that moved its semifinals and championship game last season from its traditional home of New York's Madison Square Garden to a bare-bones venue at The Orleans, an offStrip Las Vegas casino.

Fox Sports had threatened to host its own 16-team postseason event with power conference leftovers, which forced the NIT's hand for fear it would exclusively

become a receptacle for the Big Souths and Big Wests of the college basketball world. More finals like last season's North Texas-UAB game, as exciting as that game was, aren't good for business.

SDSU doesn't aspire to the NIT. It has played in the tournament only once in the last 14 seasons, advancing to the 2016 semis at MSG in what ultimately amounted to a fantastic experience for players bitterly disappointed at being snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Mountain West teams still will have NIT access based on their metrics that have steadily climbed in recent years. But advancing will, in many cases, require winning on the road with cross-country travel and short rest.

Good luck with that.