Husky Men's Basketball Blog

This involves the 2007 pre-season NIT, in which the Huskies are scheduled to play.

And the ironies could just continue to abound.

After not being invited to the post-season version, UW could find itself hosting the opening rounds of the pre-season edition next fall.

The NIT announced today that it is going back to on-campus sites for the first two rounds. Washington has been in talks with the NIT to host, at either KeyArena or the Everett Events Center and I'm sure would love to host it at Hec Ed now that that appears to be a viable option, as well.

Here is the official release from the NIT.

NEW YORK --- The 2007 NIT Season Tip-Off will return to campus sites to assure the student body and local fans can be part of the action. The format guarantees each team at least two games. The announcement was made by Committee Chair C.M. Newton and Greg Shaheen, President of the NIT, L.L.C.

"The NIT Selection Committee made the decision to return to campus sites and play a two-night doubleheader format after reviewing feedback from the sites, participating institutions and conferences from this year's event. It is in the best interest of the NIT and college basketball to make the change to insure the high quality of teams that have participated in the tournament in the past," Newton and Shaheen explained.

The NIT Season Tip-Off, founded in 1985, was originally played in neutral arenas and a year later, moved to campus sites, where single games were played. The format remained the same until last year, when the contests were moved to neutral sites and teams were guaranteed two games.

The first round of the 2007 NIT Season Tip Off begins on November 12 and 13. Second-round action will take place on November 14 and 15. The four remaining teams will square off in the semi final doubleheader at New York's Madison Square Garden on November 21 with the championship doubleheader to follow on November 23. ESPN will once again provide television coverage of the event.

I know ESPN's Andy Katz isn't universally loved by Husky fans.

But he leapt to Washington's defense yesterday in his Daily Word column on ESPN.com. It's one you have to subscribe to get, but I'll link it anyway just in case you can get it.

Interestingly, the main topic of Katz's column is Washington State's efforts to keep Tony Bennett. He says WSU is ready to pay 2-3 times Bennett's current estimated $350,000 deal to keep him there.

But in the final item, Bennett writes that "the biggest snub of the post-season wasn't Syracuse. It was Akron, Washington and Iowa not making the NIT.''

Here's the complete story I wrote for today on what C.M. Newton said about the Huskies not being inivted to the NIT.

Admittedly, he was still a little vague about it all. I know one theory being bandied about at UW is that the guys on the committee simply never see UW play due to being on Fox and West Coast starting times. Newton denied that, saying the committee knew as much as it needed to know about the Huskies, and a few other West Coast teams were invited.

Newton also denied that TV played any role in the selections.

Here's Jerry Brewer's column saying that the Huskies should use the snub as motivation for next season. He points out some of what Lorenzo Romar has said before --- that previous Husky teams played with a chip on their shoulder that this team didn't seem to always have. Maybe the NIT snub becomes its rallying cry.

Here, also, are a few questions and answers for next season.

The biggest question revolves around Spencer Hawes and whether or not he will return. Romar said yesterday he had yet to talk with Hawes about that and that no timetable has yet been set for making a decision.

We'll have more from Romar talking about the future a little later.