NIT bracket and schedule 2015: Temple and other top seeds start the hunt
All four of the top-seeded teams in this year’s National Invitational Tournament get their first crack at the competition on Wednesday night
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 NIT will continue Wednesday night when the four top-seeded squads begin their hunt for some hardware with home games. Each game will be carried on the ESPN family of networks.
Until the semifinals, the higher-seeded squad club will host the contests. The semifinals and championship games will take place at Madison Square Garden on March 31 and April 2, respectively.
This evening slate of games hosts multiple teams that have shown flashes of brilliance all season. No. 4 seed Connecticut brings one of the most exciting guards in America, Ryan Boatright, though he has been considered “questionable” for the tournament. Last year’s NCAA champion took a step back this season, finishing 20-14 overall after falling to SMU in the American Conference championship.
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No. 1 seeded Colorado State and Temple were among the snubs and first teams left out on Selection Sunday, with Temple seen as some as a lock for the Big Dance after a conference tournament win over Memphis. The Owls finished with a 23-9 record and head coach Fran Dunphy turned the team from a losing 9-22 squad to a near-NCAA tourney one.
Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes is a sure-fire NBA player whose team lost in the Horizon League championship game and St. Francis-Brooklyn lost a heartbreaker to Robert Morris in a tiny gym in New York. Old Dominion and Richmond will be the other top seeds playing on what should be an exciting night in NIT basketball.
Here is a schedule of Tuesday’s games, including where they can be watched. All times Eastern:
No. 5 Arizona State at No. 4 Connecticut, 7 p.m., ESPN2
No. 8 Bucknell at No. 1 Temple, 7 p.m., ESPN3
No. 8 Charleston Southern at No. 1 Old Dominion, 7:15 p.m., ESPN3
No. 8 St. Francis-Brooklyn at No. 1 Richmond, 7:30 p.m., ESPN3
No. 5 Green Bay at No. 4 Illinois State, 8 p.m., ESPNU
No. 5 Vanderbilt at No. 4 St. Mary’s, 9 p.m., ESPN2
No. 8 South Dakota State at No. 1 Colorado State, 10 p.m., ESPNU
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