NEW YORK – Connecticut is used to seeing its name pop up on
selection Sunday, just not in the NIT.
The Huskies, champions of the NCAA Tournament just two years
ago, were one of six Big East teams chosen Sunday night for the
NIT.
Connecticut (19-11) was knocked out in the first round of the
Big East tournament, and the conference placed only five teams in
this year's NCAA field.
"We put ourselves in that position and I respect the (NCAA
selection) committee," coach Jim Calhoun said. "I just feel a
little bit left out that we aren't a part of it."
He will have familiar company in the 32-team NIT field, joined
by conference brethren Villanova (18-12), West Virginia (17-11),
Seton Hall (16-14), Miami (16-12) and Pittsburgh (18-13).
The NIT, the stepchild to the NCAA's 65-team extravaganza,
begins play at campus sites on Tuesday.
"The beauty of the (NCAA) Tournament is there's 64, 65 terrific
stories being told out there and we're not going to be one of
them," Calhoun said of Connecticut, which will play South Carolina
(15-14) at home Wednesday. "I just hope that doesn't happen again.
We put ourselves in this position.
"If we were sitting here with 21 wins, then we don't have any
complaint. We did most everything that you need to do except get in
the tournament."
The NIT semifinals and finals will be played at Madison Square
Garden, which played host to the Big East tournament, on March 27
and 29.
St. John's, Virginia Tech and Rutgers, which all had losing
records, are the only Big East schools not chosen for postseason
play.
Seton Hall, a surprise semifinalist in the Big East tournament,
will play at Alabama (21-10) on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Miami travels to Auburn (17-13); Villanova plays
at Minnesota (17-13); and Pittsburgh welcomes St. Bonaventure
(18-11).
"It's a tremendous reward for our program and our team," coach
Jim Baron said of St. Bonaventure, which won seven of nine before
losing in the Atlantic 10 tournament. "Through all the adversity
that we had to overcome, it's great satisfaction."
St. Bonaventure will make its 14th trip to the NIT, which it won
in 1977 with Baron as the team's point guard. The Bonnies, NCAA
participants a year ago, reached the postseason in consecutive
seasons for the first time in 22 years.
West Virginia will play Friday at Richmond, the regular-season
champion of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Spiders (21-6)
were barred from the CAA tournament because they are moving to the
Atlantic 10 next season.
"We did everything that we could do, and we knew that gaining
an NCAA at-large bid was going to be tough," Richmond coach John
Beilein said. "It just wasn't to be this year."
North Carolina-Wilmington (19-10) will be at Dayton (19-12) on
Wednesday in the same building where the NCAA opening-round game
will be held the night before. First- and second-round Midwest
Regional games will also take place at University of Dayton Arena
on Friday and Sunday.
Other first-round matchups on Wednesday: Detroit (22-10) at
Bradley (19-11); Illinois State (21-8) at Purdue (15-14); UC Irvine
(25-4) at Tulsa (21-11); Southern Mississippi (22-8) at Mississippi
State (16-12); Pepperdine (21-8) at Wyoming (20-9); Baylor (19-11)
at New Mexico (19-12); and McNeese State (22-8) at Texas-El Paso
(22-8).
The Baylor-New Mexico matchup is an intriguing one, as Baylor
coach Dave Bliss was the leader of the Lobos until 1999.
"I'm excited," said Tim Lightfoot, one of four remaining New
Mexico team members who played for or were recruited by Bliss. "He
recruited me, so I get a chance to show him what he had as a
player, how much I've matured."
South Alabama (22-10) travels to Toledo (21-10) to play the only
game on Thursday night. The only other Tuesday night game has
Memphis (17-14) at Utah (19-11).
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ALSO SEE
NIT schedule
AUDIO VIDEO
 Jim Boeheim highlights the Big East representation in this year's NIT.
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