Did we turn down a bid to the N.I.T. ?

[Alvious]

And if so, why?

 

[FeralFelidae]

We preemptively turned down any postseason tournaments besides the NCAA, so yes.

It might be that we didn't want to play in either the Crown or the NIT. Or it might be that we would be contractually precluded fron playing in the NIT in favor of the Crown, and we didn't want to play in the Crown, so our only recourse was to turn down both tournaments.

 

[PURPLECAT88]

And if so, why?

Reportedly a team decision resulting from injuries and exhaustion.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Reportedly a team decision resulting from injuries and exhaustion.

And the portal

 

[FeralFelidae]

And the portal

So we're losing players to the portal?

 

[macarthur31]

So we're losing players to the portal?

In the final presser, Collins said:

"We're a beat-up group," Collins said. "The way our team is, we got together as a group, we wanted to leave it all on the floor here and make a run for the NCAA Tournament. Some of it's the timing too... I don't have enough bodies to practice for 20 more days before a game."

When I first read that, I parsed it out as injuries. However, given that the portal opens on March 24, there's room for interpretation for that may also be a reason why they don't have "enough bodies to practice..."

 

[olshin]

We weren't alone. The fields in these events are a farce.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

So we're losing players to the portal?

One would hope were moreso regaining a couple scholarship slots to fill with players from the portal

 

[Catreporter]

We weren't alone. The fields in these events are a farce.

Bunch of teams in the Crown with losing records. DePaul (14-19), Arizona State (13-19), Colorado (3-17 in the Big 12) You've got to be kidding. Ohio State obviously turned them down. So did Indiana. Nebraska and USC (16-17) are BIG teams in there. At least NIT has teams with winning records.

 

[Baz=Heisman]

I emailed Mark Jackson about this and he had a very thoughtful response (which I think was actually written by him btw):

I want to assure you that this decision was made after thoughtful discussions with the entire team, our administrative staff and myself as well – it wasn’t determined by just a handful of individuals. As is often the case in these situations, multiple factors played a role, many of which Coach Collins addressed in his postgame press conference. A few key considerations included the start date of the new Crown tournament, the current health and depth of our roster, and – something I’m particularly proud of – our student-athletes’ commitment to focusing on their academics and finals. It’s been a uniquely challenging season for this group, and they came to a decision that they believe is best for the program and I’m completely supportive.