UNI to the NIT

[MVCBeat]

Bradley with a 3 seed but Darius Hannah and Zek Montgomery have opted out of playing.

To what end?

[PantherAlum09]

To what end?

They are done playing at Bradley.

[MVCBeat]

They are done playing at Bradley.

But….why?

Both are seniors. Last chance to play college ball. I just don’t get it.

[PantherAlum09]

Probably because Wardle sucks to play for and they want to get out of Peoria.

[BCPanther]

But….why?

Both are seniors. Last chance to play college ball. I just don’t get it.

Would you want to spend anymore time around Wardle than you absolutely had to?

[MVCBeat]

Would you want to spend anymore time around Wardle than you absolutely had to?

They both chose to come back this year!

[MVCBeat]

[GarretW1797]

SMU is a tough draw. They might be the best team in the field. Not sure exactly how we will match up against them, but Trey will need to keep Boopie Miller in check for us to even have a chance of getting the win. The interesting part of this is potentially getting a rematch against Wichita State in the next round. In the first game I remember WSU was up 14 with 5 minutes left and UNI got it within 4 towards the end but ultimately lost. Since both WSU and UNI are unseeded, where would the game be played at if that matchup came to fruition?

[UNI MadCat]

I would think they've been practicing since Jake said they'd accept an invite to the CIT. Sounds like they had their sights set on playing somewhere.

Ah. I did not see that. We haven’t been willing to play in the CIT for a decade so that wasn’t on my radar.

[UNI MadCat]

Also, as it stands, UC-Riverside is in both the CBI and CIT.

https://x.com/Sam_Federman/status/1901446148906262909

If I’m them I just don’t say anything and see what happens. They play tomorrow in the NIT - a likely loss - and don’t play in the CBI until 3/24. Heck they could win tomorrow and play another NIT round before the CBI. It’s hilarious and underscores the absurdity of all these tournaments in the age of the portal and opt outs.

[BCPanther]

They've already paid the entry fee to the CBI, I'm sure.

I'd play both as well. What is the NCAA going to do about it?

[MVCBeat]

They've already paid the entry fee to the CBI, I'm sure.

I'd play both as well. What is the NCAA going to do about it?

Write em a real stern letter.

[kochrab]

For those who know more about SMU than some of us, what makes them a tough draw for us? What would we have to do to win this game in your opinion?

[BCPanther]

For those who know more about SMU than some of us, what makes them a tough draw for us? What would we have to do to win this game in your opinion?

Super athletic and long and attack the offensive glass at one of the highest rates in the country (they rebound 37% of their misses). They're also a top 100 tempo team.

Our only ace in the hole might be that Dana Ford is on staff there and he may be unavailable this week due to Ben Jacobson induced night terrors.

[kochrab]

Super athletic and long and attack the offensive glass at one of the highest rates in the country (they rebound 37% of their misses). They're also a top 100 tempo team.

Our only ace in the hole might be that Dana Ford is on staff there and he may be unavailable this week due to Ben Jacobson induced night terrors.

Wasn't Dana completely winless (or nearly winless) against Jacobson? That would definitely work in our favor