***Official 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Thread***
- Thread starter ClonesTwenty1
- Start date
But if you count "Final Four" for history of any team, is there a cutoff?
I'm vaguely familiar with how NIT used to be the bigger tournament way back, is NIT Final Four from those days the "Final Four"? Really ignorant on pre 70s.
The tournament started in 1939. Our Final Four in 1944 counts as a Final Four. NIT does not count. There is no cutoff.
So when people talk about "NIT used to be the bigger tournament" they're talking way back pre WWII?
I believe the NIT was viewed as superior later than that, but the NCAA only recognizes NCAA records.
Hell, some teams would play in both back then. In our final 4, we lost to eventual ncaa champion Utah who had lost in the first round of the NIT tournament a few days before. Both tournaments happened in MSG.
Then a couple days later Utah ended up playing NIT champion St Johns in a standalone benefit game and won.
Hell, some teams would play in both back then. In our final 4, we lost to eventual ncaa champion Utah who had lost in the first round of the NIT tournament a few days before. Both tournaments happened in MSG.
Then a couple days later Utah ended up playing NIT champion St Johns in a standalone benefit game and won.
Sounds like something that is kind of BS which I always half suspected. Curious where the anecdote comes from at all.
Fun Fact: The Final Four is in the same building where Alabama beat Clemson (45-40) in the January 2016 CFP National Championship Game. That's kind of cool, as Alabama is undefeated in that building! 
Fun Fact: The Final Four is in the same building where Alabama beat Clemson (45-40) in the January 2016 CFP National Championship Game. That's kind of cool, as Alabama is undefeated in that building!
I don't find that fact very fun at all
I'd take UConn minus the points, but you just never know:
N.C. State over Houston in 1983
Villanova over Georgetown in 1985
Duke over UNLV in 1991
Those were all just as improbable.
Roll Tide! Shock the World (or not)
Well Alabama's best comp is probably Illinois so I'm almost surprised it isn't more.
Easily UCONN covers
NIT being held in New York, with a lot of northeastern teams, helped that narrative.
The expansion of the NCAA tournament in the 70s is what probably changed that perspective.
In 1970, Marquette (Independent) didn't like their placement in the NCAA Tournament, so they turned down that bid and went to the N.I.T. and won it. So, as late as 1970, the N.I.T. still had cache. Once the NCAA Tournament started allowing more than two teams per conference, the N.I.T. really lost it's luster.
1976 was the first year the NCAA allowed more than one team per conference.
