TERRE HAUTE, IN — Some of the bigger fish say no to the NIT, lest they lose an hour staking out the transfer portal. Want to see proof how others feel? Just go to the Larry Bird statue and listen.
Note the thunder coming from inside Hulman Center Tuesday night. That’s Indiana State beating Cincinnati 85-81 in an NIT quarterfinal. Bodies are flying, emotions are raging. It’s hard to tell whether the chanting, standing, clapping masses are being electrified more by the natural urge to survive and advance, or the quest to be able to tell all those who felt the Sycamores undeserving of an NCAA tournament bid where they can stick their NET ratings. Anyway, the house is full and on fire. "Basketball fever," reads one of the business marquees in town.
Indiana State finally wins and advances to the semifinals, which are just down the road at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Cincinnati goes home and is sad to do it. Dismiss the NIT as meaningless? Not these guys.
“Everybody’s different so I’ll say this, us not playing was never an option,” Indiana State coach Josh Schertz said. “If you’re a competitor and you have an opportunity to go play great competition and challenge yourself, that would be crazy to end my senior's year or a group that really cares about each other like this and say, 'oh you know, we’re just done with each other.'"
“Or the portal. I believe all 68 teams in the NCAA tournament accepted their invitations and they’re managing the portal as well. So I think there’s some misdirection as far as what the real reason is."
“How could you not love being out here, in that atmosphere and that environment, playing incredible competition? That’s as good as it gets. You never feel more alive than you do out there in those type of battles. Credit Cincinnati because you could tell how much it meant to them as well.”
Yes, it certainly did. “Somebody asked me if you ever thought about not playing in the NIT? No way.” Bearcats coach Wes Miller said. “Every day you get to coach your kids, every day you get to compete, that’s a blessing. We’re hurt right now because we felt like we could have won the game, we felt like we could have won this tournament. So we’re in pain right now. But for a number of reasons, this was the right thing, to play in this event. It baffles me that some people turn it down.”
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You could even make the case – given the chance to go on to the semifinals for the first time in school history, and just 80 minutes away at Hinkle Fieldhouse – that this NIT contest might be as big as any home game in Indiana State history. There were a lot of magic moments and nationally recognized feats here during the Bird glory days, to be sure, but remember that all the really important stuff – the tournament games – were played somewhere else. Maybe some regular season conference title clinchers might be up there. but not many. “You’d be hard pressed to have a bigger win on our home floor here in Hulman Center history than tonight,” Schertz said. “If it’s not No. 1, it’s right there, 1A.”
Plus there is still that NCAA tournament thing stuck in their collective craw. The Sycamores hoped to hear their name on Selection Sunday. The masses were ticked that a 28-6 record wasn’t good to get into the NCAA tournament. They were fuming that at 29th, Indiana State had the highest NET rating not to receive an at-large bid, while several schools down in the 50s were allowed in the door.
Some of that might be fueling the Sycamores, too. If you can't get on the main dance floor, win the next one down to prove your point.
“Like we said throughout this whole NIT, it definitely sucked, it was a gut punch,” said guard Jayson Kent, who took five shots and made them all Tuesday. “But we’re even more driven just to be able to continue playing. Not a lot of teams have the opportunity to continue playing in March. We were just driven even more because we want to continue to play with each other, continue to practice with each other, continue to hang around with each other.”
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Same for Robbie Avila, he of the famous goggles with a knack for the heroics. He buried a 3-pointer to put Indiana State in front to stay Tuesday just as the public announcer was bellowing out, "onnnnnne minnnute!" Perfect dramatic effect. Avila finished with 22 points. “Of course being left out of the NCAA Tournament hurt,” he said. “”But I think it’s more the love of each other and being able to spend more time with each other that’s driving us to extend the season as long as possible."
Afterward, the players were circling the courts slapping hands with their fans in blue who did not want to leave. “To finish out our last home game on top, not many teams get to do that,” Avila said.
Shun the NIT and miss this moment? Not for the world.
“That’s a superpower because they don’t want this to end,” Schertz said. “So I would never have cut that off from them.”
Hail the NIT.
