WVU to Play in NIT
March 11, 2007 09:28 PM | General
March 11, 2007
2007 MASTERCARD NIT BRACKET
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – John Beilein’s first win at West Virginia came against Delaware State on Nov. 22, 2002. Tuesday night in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament, the fifth-year coach could get his 100th at WVU.
The No. 1-seeded Mountaineers take on the MEAC regular-season champion Delaware State in a game that will tip off at 7 pm.
The Hornets were edged at the buzzer of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships by Florida A&M on Saturday, March 10.
Delaware State shows non-conference losses this year to Wisconsin, Pitt, North Carolina State, Purdue, Marquette and Michigan. The Hornets were 16-2 in the MEAC this season.
Roy Bright (15. 9 ppg.) and Jahsha Bluntt (15.4), both 6-6, each average double figures for Delaware State.
The winner of the West Virginia-Delaware State game will play the winner of the Massachusetts-Alabama game on Thursday, March 15, at 9 pm on ESPNU at the home arena of the higher seeded team.
“I’ve tried to prepare them for this by talking about the NIT,” said West Virginia coach John Beilein. “Coach (Jerry) Dunn has been to the NIT Final Four twice and I’ve been there once. Aside from our ‘Elite Eight’ run and last year’s ‘Sweet 16’ it’s been the best experience ever in my life in coaching to be able to make it back to Madison Square Garden and have three heart-stopping wins to get there.”
The Mountaineers in the East are one of four top-seeded teams in the NIT, joining Mississippi State in the North, Air Force in the West, and Clemson in the South.
Other Big East teams in this year’s 32-team NIT field include 18-12 Providence in the North, 18-13 DePaul in the West, and 22-10 Syracuse in the South. The Orange, considered by some to be an NCAA tournament lock, is a number two seed in the NIT.
“I’m surprised about Syracuse (not getting into the NCAA) but the people that are on this committee are very efficient,” Beilein said. “They know what they’re doing and I support what they have done. I feel bad for Syracuse because they had a great year but they must have felt that there were better teams out there.”
The NIT quarterfinals are scheduled for March 20-21 at the home site of the higher-seeded team; the NIT Final Four will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 27. Both games will be televised on ESPN2. The NIT championship game will take place on March 29 at 7 pm on ESPN.
West Virginia last played in the NIT in 2004, knocking off Kent State and Rhode Island before falling in the second round at Rutgers. This is West Virginia’s 15th appearance in the National Invitational Tournament. WVU last went to the NIT Final Four in 1982 and won the tournament in 1942.
“We’re happy to just be playing,” Beilein said. “By Wednesday and Thursday or next weekend there will still only be about 24 teams playing anywhere. We just want to play as long as we can play. This team still has something special in them and I know West Virginia fans would love to see this team keep on winning.”
Tickets for Tuesday’s game will go on sale at 10 am at the Mountaineer Ticket Office in the WVU Coliseum. Season ticket holders have until 6 pm on Monday to purchase their reserved seats. Fans can also order by calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
Tickets are priced at $20 for lower level seating and $12 for seats in the upper deck. Non-season ticket holders can also purchase upper level tickets at WVUGAME.com.
Student tickets go on sale at 10 am Tuesday for $4. The first 500 WVU students will receive a ticket for free admission, courtesy of Coca-Cola. Children under 18 can purchase tickets at the game only on game day for $4.
Student tickets will not be sold on Monday.
WVU will honor regular season parking passes for all NIT home games this year.
