NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — The consolation prize for Virginia Tech: A No. 1 seed in the NIT.
The Hokies, along with other top seeds Illinois, Arizona State and Mississippi State, spent most of Sunday hoping for NCAA tournament bids. Instead, they will prepare to host Quinnipiac (23-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cassell Coliseum.
Virginia Tech watched its bubble burst for the third straight year. The Hokies (23-8) had a better overall and ACC record than Wake Forest, which made the NCAA tournament, but were done in by a poor RPI and strength of schedule.
“I’m very proud of my team. We’ve had a great run,” Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “It will be a tough job to get my guys up and ready to play, but that’s my job.”
The Hokies could meet Connecticut in the second round, assuming both teams win. Wichita State has the third seed in the region and will play Nevada, while Rhode Island received a No. 2 seed and will open the tournament against Northwestern.
North Carolina and UConn are lending some serious star power to the NIT.
The Tar Heels were a No. 4 seed in the bracket released Sunday, the second time in the past three years that the defending national champion missed the NCAA tournament. Florida also played in the NIT in 2008 after winning the title.
It was the first time that North Carolina (16-16) missed out on the big party since 2003, but it certainly wasn’t unexpected.
The Tar Heels lost 10 out of 12 games during a midseason swoon, and were beaten by Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Connecticut (17-15) is the other blueblood relegated to the NIT, also picked as a fourth seed after making the Final Four last season.
The Huskies had a trying season in which coach Jim Calhoun missed several games with an undisclosed medical condition.
They made a run in February to renew their NCAA tournament hopes, but head into their NIT opener against Northeastern coming off four straight losses, including a 73-51 rout by St. John’s in the Big East tournament.
“With a quick glance at the bracket, it looks like the field is remarkably tough,” Calhoun said. “There are plenty of teams that were in position to make the NCAA tournament, and I think that with all of the parity in the field, it will be very difficult to win and advance.”
The NIT begins Tuesday on campuses with the championship April 1 at Madison Square Garden.
Mississippi State will open the tournament against in-state rival Jackson State.
The winner will get North Carolina or No. 5 seed William & Mary, while the other half of their bracket includes No. 3-seeded South Florida against North Carolina State and No. 2 seed Alabama-Birmingham against Big South regular-season champ Coastal Carolina.
“We went 12-1 nonconference, we beat teams from the Big East, Big 12, ACC,” said Rhode Island coach Jim Baron, who hoped a semifinal run in the Atlantic 10 tournament would be enough to make the NCAA bracket. “We certainly worked our way in to be right there.”
*****
National Invitation Tournament
By The Associated Press
First Round
Tuesday, March 16
Northeastern (20-12) at Connecticut (17-15), 7 p.m.
N.C. State (19-15) at South Florida (20-12), 8 p.m.
Coastal Carolina (28-6) at UAB (23-8), 8 p.m.
Texas Tech (17-15) at Seton Hall (19-12), 9 p.m.
William & Mary (22-10) at North Carolina (16-16), 9:30 p.m.
Jackson State (19-12) at Mississippi State (23-11), 10 p.m.
Jacksonville (19-12) at Arizona State (22-10), 11 p.m.
Wednesday, March 17
Tulsa (23-11) at Kent State (23-9), 7 p.m.
Illinois State (22-10) at Dayton (20-12), 7 p.m.
Weber State (20-10) at Cincinnati (18-15), 7 p.m.
Quinnipiac (23-9) at Virginia Tech (23-8), 7 p.m.
Northwestern (20-13) at Rhode Island (23-9), 7 p.m.
Troy (20-12) at Mississippi (21-10), 8 p.m.
Nevada (20-12) at Wichita State (25-9), 8:05 p.m.
Illinois (19-14) at Stony Brook (22-9), 9 p.m.
St. John’s (17-15) at Memphis (23-9), 9 p.m.
———
Second Round
March 18-22
Illinois-Stony Brook winner vs. Tulsa-Kent State winner, TBA
Illinois State-Dayton winner vs. Weber State-Cincinnati winner, TBA
Jacksonville-Arizona State winner vs. Texas Tech-Seton Hall winner, TBA
St. John’s-Memphis winner vs. Troy-Mississippi winner, TBA
Quinnipiac-Virginia Tech winner vs. Northeastern-Connecticut winner, TBA
Nevada-Wichita State winner vs. Northwestern-Rhode Island winner, TBA
Jackson State-Mississippi State winner vs. William & Mary-North Carolina winner, TBA
N.C. State-South Florida winner vs. Coastal Carolina-UAB winner, TBA
———
Quarterfinals
March 23-24
Illinois-Stony Brook-Tulsa-Kent State winner vs. Illinois State-Dayton-Weber State-Cincinnati winner, TBA
Jacksonville-Arizona State-Texas Tech-Seton Hall winner vs. St. John’s-Memphis-Troy-Mississippi winner, TBA
Quinnipiac-Virginia Tech-Northeastern-Connecticut winner vs. Nevada-Wichita State-Northwestern-Rhode Island winner, TBA
Jackson State-Mississippi State-William & Mary-North Carolina winner, vs. N.C. State-South Florida-Coastal Carolina-UAB winner, TBA
———
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 30
At Madison Square Garden
New York
First Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Second Semifinal, 9:30 p.m.
Championship
Thursday, April 1
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
