Familiar Faces

As much as teams crave perennial postseason success, they don't want to be repeat performers in the NIT. But South Carolina and Michigan have become familiar faces at Madison Square Garden in late March. The Gamecocks defeated Louisville and the Wolverines dispatched Old Dominion in Tuesday's semifinals. South Carolina can win its second straight title, and Michigan will play in its second final in three years. Both would have gladly traded a shot at the title for the berths in the NCAA tournament that eluded them.

As Gothamist sees it, teams play in the NIT has two practical benefits. A coach sees the tournament as a good experience for a young team or an opportunity for a senior, like Louisville's Taquan Dean, to play a few more basketball games. Universities like their teams to play because money is still made through the tournament, and teams like Hofstra get added exposure. Despite the NIT's fall from the position it once held, it still holds a place in college basketball.