A Vortex into the Future: The 2017 NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament
This is the list of the other three teams that will be participating in the 2017 NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament at the Barclays Center, alongside the Rhode Island Rams.
1. Virginia Cavaliers:
Head Coach: Tony Bennett (8 seasons)
Overall resume: 2 Final Four's, 6 Elite Eight's (1 in 2016), 9 Sweet 16's, 21 NCAA tournament appearances
2016-2017 season: The Cavaliers were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament after getting blown out by Florida, 65-39.
2017-2018 changes: Marial Shayok, Jarred Reuter, and Darius Thompson transferred out. Marco Anthony and Francesco Badocchi committed.
Description: The Cavaliers are all about defense and slowing the game down so that they can play an old-man's game on offense. Virginia is always one of the best defensive teams in the nation with Tony Bennett at the helm.
If they played Rhode Island: Despite being the team that averaged the LEAST amount of points in the 2017 NCAA tournament, the Cavaliers had an approximate fifteen point (positive) differential. This is the matchup that college basketball fans everywhere, would love to watch.
2. Seton Hall Pirates:
Head Coach: Kevin Willard (7 seasons)
Overall resume: 1 Final Four, 2 Elite Eight's, 4 Sweet 16's, 11 NCAA tournament appearances
2016-2017 season: The Pirates were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a close, controversial game to the Arkansas Razorbacks, 77-71.
2017-2018 changes: Amarveer Singh, Dalton Soffer, Rashed Anthony, and Jevon Thomas transferred out. Myles Cale, Darnell Brodie, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Jordan Walker committed. Quincy McKnight (not eligible to play during the 2017-2018 season) transferred in.
Description: Seton Hall has a free-flowing offense that runs directly off the play of their guards and they always have a solid presence inside. Given that they ranked 177th in points per game and 123rd in opponent points per game in 2016-2017, the Pirates do not do anything particularly well. However, much like Rhode Island, Seton Hall wins many of their games as a result of their hard work and effort.
If they played Rhode Island: This matchup would be intriguing for the simple fact that Seton Hall is Dan Hurley's alma mater and it was rumored that the Pirates were pursuing his services for their head coaching position while Kevin Willard was still in charge.
3. Vanderbilt Commodores:
Head Coach: Bryce Drew (1 season)
Overall resume: 1 Elite Eight, 6 Sweet 16's, 15 NCAA tournament appearances
2016-2017 season: The Commodores were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament by the Northwestern Wildcats after an ill-advised foul by Matthew Fisher-Davis enabled Northwestern to hit the game-winning free throws.
2017-2018 changes: Camron Justice transferred out. Ejike Obinna, Saban Lee, and Maxwell Evans committed. Yanni Wetzell and Matt Ryan (not eligible to play during the 2017-2018 season) transferred in.
Description: The Commodores are big on creating and taking countless 3's on the offensive end. With the recent graduation of Luke Kornet, Bryce Drew will have a much tougher time with his team's performance. Defensively, they ranked 70th in the nation in the 2016-2017 season.
If they played Rhode Island: This matchup would be fun to watch as a Rhode Island basketball fan because it will show where the 2017-2018 iteration of the Rhode Island Rams are with their defense, particularly their three-point defense.
If I had a choice for the exact matchups, I would have URI (hopefully) get an easy win over Seton Hall or Vanderbilt (whoever performs better in the 2017-2018 season) and then meet Virginia in an epic defensive battle in the championship game. I really, really like the Rams chances in this tournament and I cannot wait to be at this event during Thanksgiving time.
