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NIT selects Kent State over Miami - REALLY!  By MIKE SMITH There are always teams on the outside bemoaning their "non-slection" to tournaments. Right or wrong, there is no "remedy." Such is the case with the Miami men's basketball team, which appears to have drawn an "ultra-snub" for the National Invitational Tournament. The RedHawks have had a record-breaking season, finishing with a 25-9 overall record. That included a 14-4 MAC regular season record and two MAC Tournament wins before falling to a VERY talented Akron team by two points in the title game. The Zips lost just one MAC game (at Ohio) all year and clawed their way back after falling behind by as many as 18 points in the final. The bottom line is they earned their way to the MAC's automatic NCAA bid. Few expected a second MAC representative, and so there was no surprise that UA was the only MAC team to make the dance. There was a surprise, however, in the next 24 hours! When the NIT (National Invitational Tournament) announced . . .  . . . its field of 32, it included a MAC program. However, it was NOT Miami, but Kent State which will meet St. Bonaventure March 18 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The NIT selection committee must have been HUGE Ken Pom statistic fans. The popular statistical reference site's most recent rankings put Kent State at No. 136 and Miami at No. 151. No doubt part of the calculations owed to strength of schedule, with the Flashes being 38 spots higher that MU. Actually, Kent State did beat a Miami team this year, knocking off Miami's Hamilton Branch Campus team 98-53 back on Nov. 8. The Harriers recently won a Division 2 National championship by defeating Penn State Skhuylkill 53-52. They were, however, not a match for the Flashes. You would think that league standings could serve as an "equal" schedule, with league head-to-head results meaning something. Consider the following FACTS, which must have fallen to the bottom of any analysis. • Miami (25-9, 14-4 MAC) finished the season with a better record than KSU (22-11, 11-7 MAC). • Miami defeated KSU in all three head-to-head meetings at three different sites: 70-61 Jan. 16, 96-92 OT Feb. 21 and 72-64 Mar. 14. In recent years, I've noted serious overuse of the word "outrage," usually in a political context. I am, however, sensing some sports outrage related to the Miami snub. It's sad -- for the RedHawks, and maybe for the NIT, as well. The latter's credibility has taken a self-inflicted shot. MEANWHILE, MU WOMEN TOURNEY-BOUND
Ironically, Miami Women's Basketball (19-11) earned a berth in the 27th annual Postseason WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports and looks for its first 20-win season since 2018-19. The RedHawks have a first-round bye and will face the Longwood vs. Duquesne winner in a second-round game March 23-25 at a location and time to be determined. After advancing to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland for the first time since 2019, Miami bowed out in the quarterfinals Wednesday, falling 68-61 to fourth-seeded Kent State at Rocket Arena. Earlier last week, Enjulina Gonzalez and Amber Tretter were recognized as All-MAC by the conference, with Gonzalez capturing First-Team honors and Tretter earning Honorable Mention. Comments are closed.
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Editor-Publisher Mike SmithMike grew up in Mid-American Conference football and basketball territory and returned there after military service. He has been covering MAC football and men's basketball for much of the last several decades. 
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