Picking NITs

I'll admit, I wasn't particularly interested in the NIT when Carolina was playing in it. Part of it's media related -- I seem to recall a time when NIT brackets were commonplace in newspapers. Now you have to dig in the back next to the horse racing odds to find scores. So NIT coverage is better sought out elsewhere. Uncertain Prinicples and Turtle Soup both play Gary and fix the Terps, while Dr. Principles goes one step further and gives Syracuse fans a reason to worry. It's not a good sign when both the recommended fixes require a Will Bowers performance not yet seen on this earth, however.

Personally, my NIT New Yorkers would be Marquette, Memphis, Clemson, and Arizona State, although Davidson and whoever comes out of the Vanderbilt-Indiana matchup also look pretty good.

Buzz Petersen, UNC alumnus and hero of a nine-year old Tar Heel March, has been let go at Tennessee. He's a good coach and will bounce back pretty quickly, but I was amused by the list of replacements. Tennnessee, you just fired an above .500 coach after four seasons, and you're looking to hire someone took take the third most followed coaching position at your university. For Jamie Dixon (Pitt), Tom Crean (Marquette), Frank Haith (Miami) and even Jeff Lebo (Auburn) taking this job would be a step down from their current position. It's a lateral move for Bobby Lutz (Charlotte), Dan Monson (Minnesota) and possibly even Mike Anderson (UAB), and you just showed that taking your gig was going to up their blood pressure and not their profile. I hope Gregg Marshall can live up to your standards, because he's the best you're going to get.