2011 NIT Bracket & Schedule


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The main focus of March Madness is the NCAA tournament bracket, however, let’s not forget that the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) also gets started this week.  Be sure to view and download or print our 2011 NIT Bracket to follow all of this year’s action.

As usual there are a few teams in this year’s NIT that deserved consideration for the NCAA tournament.  Colorado, for example, had a better record against top 50 RPI opponents than several teams that ended up making the big dance.  Their only consolation is receiving one of the four #1 seeds in the NIT along with Boston College, Alabama, and Virginia Tech.

Fourteen teams this season were automatic qualifiers for the NIT, having won their regular season conference championship, but losing in their conference tournaments and not qualifying for the 2011 NCAA Tournament:

Team (Conference)

Bethune-Cookman (MEAC)
Coastal Carolina (Big South)
College of Charleston (Southern)
Fairfield (MAAC)
Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt)
Long Beach State (Big West)
Kent State (MAC)
McNeese State (Southland)
Missouri State (Missouri Valley)
Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon)
Murray State (Ohio Valley)
Saint Mary’s (West Coast)
Texas Southern (SWAC)
Vermont (America East)

The rest of the teams in the tournament are invited by a selection committee as at-large bids.  The first three rounds are played on the home court of the team with the higher seed (excluding #1 Boston College vs. #3 Dayton in the first round this season – BC’s building is unavailable), with the semifinals and championship game played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Now let’s take a look at this year’s NIT schedule.

Date
Matchup
Time (ET)
TV Coverage
March 15 Vermont at Cleveland State 7 p.m. ESPN3.com
March 15 Dayton at College of Charleston 7 p.m. ESPN2
March 15 Coastal Carolina at Alabama 7 p.m. ESPNU
March 15 Harvard at Oklahoma State 7:30 p.m. ESPN
March 15 Murray State at Missouri State 8 p.m. ESPN3.com
March 15 Fairfield at Colorado State 9 p.m. ESPN3.com
March 15 New Mexico at UTEP 9 p.m. ESPN2
March 15 Boston College at McNeese St. 9 p.m. ESPNU
March 15 Kent St. at St. Mary’s (Calif.) 11 p.m. ESPN2
March 16 Nebraska at Wichita State 7 p.m. ESPN2
March 16 Florida Atlantic at Miami (Fla.) 7:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
March 16 Milwaukee at Northwestern 8 p.m. ESPN3.com
March 16 Bethune Cookman at Virginia Tech 8 p.m. ESPNU
March 16 Texas Southern at Colorado 9 p.m. ESPN3.com
March 16 Mississippi at California 9 p.m. ESPN2
March 16 Long Beach St. at Washington St. 10 p.m. ESPNU
Second Round
March 17-21 TBD TBD ESPN Networks
Quarterfinals
March 22 TBD 7 p.m. ESPN
March 22 TBD 9 p.m. ESPN
March 23 TBD 7 p.m. ESPN2
March 23 TBD 9 p.m. ESPN2
Semifinals
March 29 TBD 7 p.m. ESPN2
March 29 TBD 9:30 p.m. ESPN2
NIT Championship Game
March 31 TBD 7 p.m. ESPN2
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