A Sprint to the NIT?

As strange as that sounds, that's what Cyclone basketball now must do.

At 14-11, and with a sure loss at some point of the Big 12 tourney, ISU must go 2-2 in the last four to avoid a must-win situation in the first round in Dallas. That first round game will probably come against a team that ISU might have beaten (NU, KSU) but will definitely come against a team that has beaten ISU (NU, KSU, a$m, Tech). Perhaps everything would come together in the Must Win, but given the knack for Finding A Way To Lose this bunch exhibits, I'm not holding my breath.

At this point, the NIT is the best thing for the team. Imagine if ISU somehow rips off the last four games, then gets to the semi's in Dallas. What then? A 12 or 13 or 14 seed against a team that knows how to exploit an opponent's flaws? Aside from a banner in the rafters of Hilton, would that first-round thumping really achieve anything? I'm not sure.

Since ISU can't open a Big Man's Camp during the off week, three or four winnable games in the NIT might be better than a sure loss in the NCAA in the long term. An NIT run seemed to serve ISU well last year- perhaps the same can set up next season.

Peterclone