While the ultimate goal of any team is to make the NCAA Tournament, reaching the NIT is still an accomplishment to be proud of. Out of the 351 of Division I basketball programs, just 68 make the Big Dance, and 32 more earn births in the consolation tournament, the NIT. That’s a very small percentage of teams, and making a run in March, even if its only the NIT, can help a programs create momentum, and shows steps in the right direction. So, without further ado, lets take a look at this year’s field of 32!
Atlantic 10 Teams’ Seeds and Matchups
#1 Saint Bonaventure vs #8 Wagner (3/16 7PM, ESPN3)
#4 George Washington vs #5 Hofstra (3/16 8PM, ESPN3)
#5 Davidson at #4 Florida State (3/15 7PM, ESPN2)
The Road to Madison Square Garden
#1 Saint Bonaventure
The Bonnies claim the number-one overall seed in the NIT, and will face the Northeast Conference regular-season champion, Wagner. From there, the Bonnies would play the winner of 4-seed Creighton and 5-seed Alabama, and then likely 2-seed BYU should they advance that far.
#4 George Washington
The Colonials definitely have the most difficult road to New York, as they will have to go through 1-seed Monmouth and 2-seed Florida/3-seed Ohio State, not to mention 5-seed Hofsta out of the CAA in the first round.
#5 Davidson
The Wildcats are the only A10 team that will have to play on the road in the first round, as they will travel to play at Florida State. Should Davidson advance, they would have to go through Valparaiso and Saint Mary’s, assuming the chalk holds up, to get to New York.
