Who Knew The NIT Could Be This Dramatic?
March 17th, 2009 at 2:25 pmBy Chris
For the first time in my adult life, I’ll be watching the opening round of the NIT tonight — well, at least one game. Such is the price of being a Kentucky fan; rooting for a team that’s missing the real tournament for the first time in 18 seasons. While most basketball scribes are trying to figure out which teams to advance, or which team is going to be upset, or which team got snubbed in the real Big Dance, there is one basketball writer who is upset about his team’s first-round NIT match up, and isn’t afraid to let his voice be heard.
The issue is UNLV has to travel to Lexington, Kentucky for their first round game, and one writer at UNLV Sports — Rob Miech — is none-too-happy about it, nor the fact that ex-UK AD C.M. Newton is the chairman of the NIT selection committee. Until this season, Newton never really had to worry about potential conflicts of interest, but now that Kentucky is officially an also-ran, the first coach to integrate Alabama’s basketball team faces complaints of favoritism.
When the NIT committee saw UNLV on its big board Sunday, it must have cranked up “My Old Kentucky Home” on its juke box, started frothing at the mouth and high-fived C.M. The Rebels were slapped with a No. 5 seed and given marching orders to come here.
UNLV-Kentucky represents two of the three most successful programs, by winning percentage, in the history of the game.
In an interview with the Lexington paper soon after the NIT field was revealed Sunday, Newton wasn’t even asked why Kentucky deserved a home game.
In these parts, they take care of their own.
Miech then goes on to discount the fact the game is not being held in Rupp Arena (scheduling conflicts), correctly pointing out the Thomas and Mack center holds more bodies than Memorial Coliseum, the alternate site for tonight’s game. Even though Miech contradicts himself trying to express his displeasure via ticket sales — “So tonight’s game will be played in the antiquated Memorial Coliseum, which may or may not be filled to its 9,000 capacity.” followed by this segment, “Any UNLV fan who paid the astronomical air fare – few seats were available, and they went fast…” — he makes an interesting point about UNLV finishing the season stronger than Kentucky.
Naturally, for all his efforts, Miech is currently incurring the wrath of some Kentucky fans, who, despite a most humbling season, find it necessary journey over to Las Vegas publications and defend the fact Kentucky is hosting an NIT game. That alone should give you reason for pause. Something like, “Dude, you are playing in the NIT. Let it go.”
In fact, that would probably work quite well for all parties involved.
